DEFENCE

HMS Fearless

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to extend the life of HMS Fearless.

Adam Ingram: There are no plans to extend the life of HMS Fearless.

Training Costs

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funding the UK will provide for the staff training course beginning in April 2003 at Liptovsky Mikulas Military Academy in Slovakia; how long the training will last; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Junior Staff Officers' Course (JSOC) (Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)) project is a joint initiative between the United Kingdom and The Netherlands, together with the Slovak Republic as the host nation. Its purpose is to set up a Regional Training Centre in Central and Eastern Europe similar to the UK initiatives at Vyskov in Czech Republic and Bucharest in Romania. The division of costs, less personnel related funding, is UK 75 per cent. and The Netherlands 25 per cent. The Netherlands will provide and fund 25 per cent. of the personnel. The Slovak Republic will provide the infrastructure, food and accommodation and some locally employed staff.
	The aim of the JSOC is to provide command and staff training in English, based upon British/NATO Defence Doctrine, for Senior Lieutenants, Captains and Majors from the Partnership for Peace partners. This will enable them to participate effectively within a multinational environment in training, exercises, military operations and 'operations other than war' (OOTW) operations. OOTW includes Peace Support, Humanitarian and Natural Disaster operations.
	It is intended to run three courses per annum, each for up to 60 students, of approximately 12 weeks' duration. It is intended to begin the first course in late April or early May 2003.
	The JSOC project is an initiative within the Outreach Programme, part of the Defence Diplomacy Mission. This programme of bilateral and multilateral defence co-operation in CEE contributes to international stability by assisting countries in the region to establish democratically accountable, cost effective armed formes capable of contributing both to national and regional security and, increasingly, to international security through participation in peach support operations.
	The UK funding for this project will come from the Global Conflict Prevention Fund (GCPF)(GEE Strategy). The estimated cost to the UK in the Financial Year 2002–2003, including personnel, is £1.2 million as setting up costs. Running costs in subsequent years are estimated to be £1.3-£1.4 million.

Flying Training

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will extend the scope of the Hunting Aviation contract to provide aircraft and crews for routine training.

Adam Ingram: Hunting Contract Services is now part of the Babcock group. We currently have two contracts with Babcock HCS in support of non-operational flying training. One contract covers support services at RAF Cranwell, including engineering support of Jetstream and Dominie aircraft, which are used for Multi-Engine Flying training and for Navigator/rearcrew training. This contract ends on 30 March 2004. A competition will be held for a replacement contract and the scope of the contract will be increased to include the provision of aircraft.
	The other current contract provides aircraft and the majority of the instructors for the Joint Elementary Flying Training School's tasks. This contract ends on 7 July 2003 and following a competition Babcock HCS have been awarded the follow on contract.
	For the longer term the future delivery of flying training is being considered by the United Kingdom Military Flying Training System project.

HMS Nottingham

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long he expects HMS Nottingham to be out of service; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 July 2002, Official Report, column 26W, to the hon. Member for North Essex (Mr. Jenkin).

HMS Nottingham

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the damage to HMS Nottingham from collision with a rock off Australia.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 16 July 2002
	The damage to Nottingham is severe. There has been extensive structural damage and flooding in the forward part of the ship. This has been controlled. She is in a safe, stable condition and is at anchor. Specialist teams are on board and they are continuing with their assessments. A further, more comprehensive survey of her structure and equipment will be necessary to determine the full extent of the damage.

Mobile Telephones

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on members of the armed forces using mobile telephones for personal purposes on deployments and operations.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 15 July 2002
	The use of personal mobile phones by members of the armed forces during deployments and operations is at the discretion of the local Commander.

Afghanistan

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what showering and washing facilities are in place for British armed forces personnel serving in Afghanistan; when these facilities were installed; and whether hot water was available.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 15 July 2002
	There have been showering and washing facilities with hot water in place for both the International Security Assistance Force and Task Force JACANA personnel since early in their deployments.

Afghanistan

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what latrine facilities are in place for British armed forces personnel serving in Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 15 July 2002
	There are deep trench latrines in place for troops in Afghanistan; this is in line with normal procedure for expeditionary operations. However, 20 toilet combination units containing showers and WCs are currently being put in place for those United Kingdom ISAF elements that will be in Kabul until the early winter months.

Weapons Regulations

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the content was of the applicable regulation in force concerning the qualifying age for a private in the army to carry a weapon when engaged on general security duties in each year since 1994; and how (a) general security duties, (b) weapon, (c) engaged and (d) carrying are defined for the purposes of such regulation.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 16 July 2002
	I am withholding information on the detail of the regulations in force since 1994 in accordance with Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. In general terms, however, the regulations outline the eligibility of Army personnel for armed security duties, covering principally the training standards to be met, but also stipulating the minimum age requirement, namely having reached the age of 17 years.
	The following definitions apply:
	(a) general security duties
	Security duty on the Defence Estate including access/egress control, issue of passes, vehicle searching, patrolling and Quick Reaction Force duties.
	(b) weapon
	Generally regarded as a service issue rifle, pistol or baton.
	(c) engaged
	Carrying out a task
	(d) carrying
	The way in which a weapon is held, which will depend on the nature of duties and weapon.

Armed Forces (Review)

Syd Rapson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for a review of armed forces personnel processes.

Adam Ingram: A review of armed forces personnel processes is to be carried out this year. Preliminary work (Phase 1) has defined the scope of the study and identified the processes concerned. The aim of the review os to ensure that the outcome of the processes (providing the armed forces with the right number of people with the right skills in the right place at the right time) is achieved effectively and as efficiently as possible.
	The review will proceed in two further phases, under the sponsorship of the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel). Phase 2 will identify management, organisational, and structural options for improving the delivery of the personnel process outputs. The examination will include the business planning and performance management framework within which these processes operate. The sponsor expects to receive the report early in 2003. Phase 3, to be completed in mid-2003, will develop more detailed proposals for improvements in future performance and service delivery.
	This process-based review, whose approach is supported by the Treasury and Cabinet Office, will replace planned quinquennial reviews of the Naval Recruiting and Training Agency (NRTA), the Army Training and Recruiting Agency (ATRA), and the RAF's Training Group Defence Agency (TGDA). Although the future of these agencies will be considered in detail, the review will focus on end-to-end processes, and not primarily on historical agency performance.
	The review team will conduct wide consultation with representatives of stakeholders. However, the team would be interested to hear the views of other organisations or individuals (including people currently in the armed forces) who would like to make a contribution to the review. Those wishing to do so should send their contributions by Monday 16 September by post to:
	Service Personnel Processes Review Team,
	c/o 2nd Floor Open Plan,
	Ministry of Defence
	St. Giles Court,
	1–13 St. Giles High Street,
	London, WC2H 8LD. or by email to: dgmo-traqqr3@defence.mod.uk

Royal School of Artillery

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list his Department's total expenditure relating to the Royal School of Artillery in each year since 1997.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is as follows:
	
		£ million 
		
			 Financial year Expenditure 
		
		
			 1997–98 23.102 
			 1998–99 21.733 
			 1999–2000 22.206 
			 2000–01 23.022 
			 2001–02 25.096 
		
	
	The costs shown exclude the salary costs of students at the school.

Royal School of Artillery

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many enrolled at the Royal School of Artillery in each year since 1997; and what percentage were graduates broken down by (a) age, (b) sex and (c) nationality.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Royal School of Artillery is a Phase 2 and 3 training school and all students will be serving soldiers or officers. For officers we assess the broad percentage of graduate entry to the Royal Artillery to be 85 per cent.

Cyprus

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the recent disturbance in the sovereign base areas in Cyprus; and what steps his Department has taken since July 2001 to ensure the safety of his Department's (a) personnel and (b) property.

Adam Ingram: A peaceful protest against construction of a new antenna at the Salt Lake site in the Western Sovereign Base Area (WSBA) on 2 July was later hijacked by a few trouble-makers throwing stones and petrol bombs and setting fire to property. Order was restored quickly by the SBA police with support from military personnel. One SBA police officer was sightly injured and there was limited damage to property.
	Following the unprecedented riots of 3 July 2001, public order training and procedures, as well as physical security arrangements, were thoroughly reviewed by the SBA police and British Forces Cyprus. We do not, however, disclose detailed information on security arrangements at defence establishments, so I am withholding such details under exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Royal Military Academy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many students were sent to Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in each year since 1997 broken down by country.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			 Country 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002(1) 
		
		
			 Bahrain 4 4 3 4 4 2 
			 Barbados 0 2 0 1 0 0 
			 Belize 3 4 5 2 3 2 
			 Botswana 3 2 2 2 1 0 
			 Brunei 2 1 3 2 8 5 
			 Czech Rep 1 1 0 0 0 1 
			 El Salvador 0 0 1 1 0 0 
			 Fiji 2 2 2 2 0 0 
			 Georgia 0 0 1 1 1 0 
			 Ghana 2 1 0 1 0 0 
			 Guatemala 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 British Guiana 1 1 0 1 0 0 
			 Hungary 2 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Ireland 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Jamaica 7 9 2 4 2 4 
			 Jordan 1 1 4 1 1 4 
			 Kenya 2 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kuwait 8 8 4 5 4 5 
			 Latvia 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Lesotho 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Lithuania 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 Luxembourg 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Malawi 2 2 3 2 1 1 
			 Malaysia 1 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Maldives 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Malta 1 2 2 1 1 0 
			 Mauritius 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Morocco 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Mauritania 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Mozambique 1 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Namibia 2 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Nepal 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 Nigeria 0 0 0 2 4 1 
			 Oman 3 6 3 4 6 2 
			 Pakistan 2 2 2 0 2 0 
			 Papua New Guinea 1 2 1 0 0 0 
			 Paraguay 1 1 0 2 0 1 
			 Philippines 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Qatar 4 7 3 1 4 0 
			 Saudi Arabia 1 0 1 1 1 1 
			 Senegal 0 0 3 2 3 0 
			 Seychelles 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Singapore 2 0 0 1 2 2 
			 South Africa 0 0 0 1 1 0 
			 Sri Lanka 1 1 0 1 0 0 
			 Swaziland 0 1 0 0 1 0 
			 Tanzania 1 1 1 0 1 1 
			 Thailand 1 1 2 1 1 1 
			 The Gambia 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Tonga 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 0 2 0 1 0 0 
			 Uganda 0 1 2 0 0 0 
			 Ukraine 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 United Arab Emirates 6 2 3 2 7 7 
			 Uruguay 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Yemen 1 0 0 2 0 3 
			 Zimbabwe 3 2 2 0 0 0 
		
	
	(1) To date
	The figures relate to candidates from the countries named who are members of that Country's armed forces. It does not include candidates from Commonwealth countries who join the British Army.

Royal Military Academy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many enrolled for the (a) war studies, (b) defence and international affairs and (c) communications studies departments at Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in each academic term since 1997.

Adam Ingram: All students who attend the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst complete all modules of the Commissioning course, which includes War Studies, Defence and International Affairs and Communications Studies. For information, the total number of students entering RMAS each year since 1997 is as follows:
	
		
			  Total intake 
		
		
			 1997 797 
			 1998 734 
			 1999 660 
			 2000 704 
			 2001 798 
			 2002 (at July) 495

Royal Military Academy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many enrolled at Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in each year since 1997; and what percentage were graduates broken down by (a) age, (b) sex and (c) nationality.

Adam Ingram: The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However the average age on entry at present is 23 years six months, a rise from 22 years six months as the age limit for entry was raised in 1999–2000 from 25 to 29. The percentages of graduates shown are all British: we do not record whether foreign students were graduates.
	
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002(2) 
		
		
			 Total intake 797 734 660 704 798 495 
			 British male numbers 606 552 514 526 629 373 
			 British female numbers 112 108 84 119 102 73 
			 Foreign male numbers 77 68 60 56 67 45 
			 Foreign female numbers 2 6 2 3 0 4 
			 Percentage of British males shown as graduates 76 75 76 88 75 78 
			 Percentage of British females shown as graduates 84 83 81 87 87 90 
		
	
	(2) As at July 2002

Gibraltar

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement concerning his Department's policy regarding Gibraltar.

Geoff Hoon: The Government's policy recognises that Gibraltar has been and continues to be an important overseas base for the British Armed Forces, and contains valuable support, logistic, communications and training facilities.

University Officers' Training Corps

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list total membership of the University Officers' Training Corps, by contingent, for each year since 1997; and if he will break down the membership by (a) age and (b) sex for each year.

Adam Ingram: Membership of the University Officers' Training Corps, by contingent, for each year since 1997, and a breakdown of the membership by sex, is shown in the table. I regret that statistics for age are not held. In light of the fact that most officer cadets are undergraduates, we would expect the majority to be in the 18 to 22 age bracket.
	
		
			 UOTC/year 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 Aberdeen 156 194 167 173 215 
			 Birmingham 215 221 216 219 211 
			 Bristol 182 214 173 183 168 
			 Cambridge 278 289 287 248 218 
			 East Midlands 201 178 171 216 184 
			 Edinburgh 201 190 167 121 143 
			 Exeter 217 199 233 184 172 
			 Glasgow and Strathclyde 155 162 164 156 190 
			 Leeds 200 184 157 145 173 
			 Liverpool 188 172 198 220 199 
			 London 314 398 376 391 433 
			 Manchester and Salford 169 156 162 166 174 
			 Northumbrian 168 209 237 227 254 
			 Oxford 220 235 212 201 248 
			 Queen's Belfast 163 197 171 213 147 
			 Sheffield 172 183 175 212 223 
			 Southampton 165 139 161 201 202 
			 Tayforth (Dundee) 247 228 184 246 219 
			 Wales 211 166 189 209 202 
			 Officer Cadets Male 2,490 2,570 2,553 2,655 2,667 
			 Officer Cadets Female 1,332 1,344 1,247 1,276 1,308 
			 Total 3,822 3,914 3,800 3,931 3,975 
		
	
	Note:
	Information taken from "The Officers' Training Corps Annual Report 2001".

University Officers' Training Corps

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list his Department's total expenditure on the University Officers' Training Corps, for each year since 1997.

Adam Ingram: The expenditure on the University Officers; Training Corps, for each year since 1997, is shown in the table.
	
		£ 
		
			  Expenditure 
		
		
			 1997 17,112,000 
			 1998 17,454,000 
			 1999 18,410,349 
			 2000 18,679,050 
			 (3)2001 20,627,053 
		
	
	(3) Consequent on the introduction of Resource Accounting and Budgeting this figure reflects resource costs.
	Source:
	The Officers' Training Corps Annual Report 2001.

Akrotiri

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what environmental impact assessments were conducted at Akrotiri prior to antenna construction.

Adam Ingram: An assessment of the likely environmental impact of the project to build new antennas at Akrotiri was undertaken by a firm of consultants in 1997 and its results were reviewed by the company in 2001.
	Last year the British and Cypriot Governments agreed that these environmental impact assessments should be reviewed by an independent panel of international environmental experts. This review was co-ordinated by the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment. The panel found that there were significant deficiencies in the original assessments, when judged against today's best practice standards and that there was not sufficient information on which to base a decision to proceed with the second phase of the project. The Ministry of Defence therefore commissioned further studies to fill the information gaps identified by the panel and to address their criticisms of the approach to mitigating the potential environmental impact. The panel confirmed in May that this additional work satisfactorily addressed the deficiencies in the original assessments.

Civil Servants

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out for each Civil Service grade within his (a) Department and (b) Department's executive agencies the (i) total number of staff employed, (ii) number aged (A) 16 to 25, (B) 26 to 35, (C) 36 to 45, (D) 46 to 60 and (E) over the age of 60 years, (iii) number of registered disabled and (iv) number of ethnic minorities.

Lewis Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 13 March 2002, Official Report, column 1072W, by my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Mr. Leslie).

Digital Television

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will list the number of subscriptions to (a) digital terrestrial, (b) digital satellite and (c) digital cable television held by his Department for services in any departmental building from which Ministers work, stating for each subscription its (i) cost and (ii) purpose;
	(2)  if he will list the (a) number and (b) total cost of television licences paid for by his Department.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Female Staff

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the staff of his Department are women; and what the percentage was in June 1997.

Lewis Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 5 July 2002, Official Report, column 622W, by the Minister of State, Cabinet Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Paisley, South (Mr. Alexander).

Low Flying

Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hours were booked for low flying broken down by (a) day flights, (b) night flights and (c) by NATO air force within low flying areas 16 and 20T since 1995.

Lewis Moonie: The number of hours of military low flying training booked in the United Kingdom Low Flying System (UKLFS) is published annually. Figures quoted are in respect of hours booked by day and by night, with the night Low Flying Areas (LFA) mapped to the day system in order to produce the final total.
	Tactical Training Area (TTA 20T), when activated for Operational Low Flying (OLF), partly overlays LFA 16, approximately two-thirds of LFA 13 and a small area within LFA 12.
	The raw data prior to training year 2000–01 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Night data mapped to the day system does not distinguish between United Kingdom and foreign forces and therefore cannot be shown. Foreign military aircrew do not undertake OLF.
	
		
			 Year—calendar/training Hours low flying booked in LFA 16 Hours OLF flown in LFA 20T Hours low flying booked by foreign aircrew in LFA 16 and surrounding overseas areas 
		
		
			 1995 4,715 555 hours — 
			 1996 4,440 310 hours 31 minutes — 
			 1997 4,023 199 hours 45 minutes — 
			 1998 3,680 221 hours 2 minutes — 
			 1999–2000 3,408 280 hours 59 minutes — 
			 2000–01 3,735 205 hours 59 minutes 100 hours 43 minutes 
			 2001–02 4,080 297 hours 33 minutes 32 hours 12 minutes

Low Flying

Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the locations and dates of periods of covert monitoring of low-flying operations conducted by Royal Air Force police (a) with and (b) without Skyguard deployment since 1993 within Low Flying Area 16 and 20T.

Lewis Moonie: Covert monitoring of low flying military aircraft is only undertaken using mobile Skyguard radar equipment by teams from the Defence Flying Complaints Investigation Team of the RAF police. Deployments of the Skyguard radar in Low Flying Areas 16 and 20T since 1993 are identified in the table. Full dates are quoted where this information is held centrally and I shall write to the hon. Member with supplementary information and place a copy in the Library of the House when this is to hand.
	
		
			 Year Day/month Location 
		
		
			 2001 6–9 February Castle Douglas, Galloway and Upper Nithsdale 
			 2001 23–25 October East Fortune, Gifford and Torness, East Lothian 
			 2000 4–7 April Duns, Berwickshire 
			 2000 3–6 October East Fortune and Torness, East Lothian 
			 1999 6–8 September Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway 
			 1998 February St. John's Town of Dalry, Dumfries and Galloway 
			 1998 June Dunbar, East Lothian 
			 1997 February Biggar, Strathclyde 
			 1996 June Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway 
			 1995 April Galashiels, Scottish Borders 
			 1995 September Maybole, Strathclyde 
			 1994 March Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway 
			 1994 November Galashiels, Scottish Borders 
			 1993 October Churnside, Berwickshire 
		
	
	Monitoring of low flying training without the Skyguard mobile radar is accomplished on an informal basis when members of the Defence Flying Complaints Investigation Team visit or pass through an area, for example, in connection with an investigation of a complaint.

Aircraft Carriers

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilians are deployed on aircraft carriers; and how many were deployed in 1987.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 16 July 2002
	In general terms there are approximately 10 civilians who deploy with each aircraft carrier, of these are six employed in the laundry and four in the NAAFI. The numbers of civilians on board may vary depending on the type of deployment. Information on civilian numbers deployed on aircraft carriers in 1987 is not available.

Public Relations

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the public relations firms his Department has employed since 1997; and if he will list total moneys paid to each firm since 1997.

Lewis Moonie: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	In recent years, information on expenditure and publicity which incorporates public relations has been included in the Ministry of Defence's annual Departmental Performance Report. Copies of these reports are available in the Library of the House.

Defence Munitions

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of munitions will be stored in (a) DM(N) and (b) DM(S); and what the percentages will be if DM Dean Hill closes.

Adam Ingram: Currently the Defence Munitions distribution of stock by volume is as follows:
	
		
			 Stock Percentage 
		
		
			 DM (North) 19.5 
			 DM (Central) 68.5 
			 DM (South) 12 
		
	
	Should DM Dean Hill close as proposed and stock from there dispersed to other DM locations the resultant stock distribution by volume would be as follows:
	
		
			 Stock Percentage 
		
		
			 DM (North) 21 
			 DM (Central) 69 
			 DM (South) 10

Defence Munitions

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage decrease in DM's operating costs has been achieved since its inception.

Adam Ingram: At inception the Defence Munitions (DM) set a challenging strategic goal to reduce total operating costs by 20 per cent. by financial year (FY) 2003–04 ie by 31 March 2004. By the end of FY 2001–02 delivery towards the target stood at 9.3 per cent. The inclusions of Defence Munitions Rationalisation Study 2 reductions (including savings arising from the proposed closure of DM Dean Hill) will, if implemented, deliver operating cost reductions of 16.7 per cent. by the end of FY 2003–04 with the full 20 per cent. being delivered in the course of the following year FY 2004–05.

Defence Munitions

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions over the last two years the storage capacity of DM Gosport has been exceeded; and where the excess munitions were stored on each occasion.

Adam Ingram: For safety reasons the volume of explosives that can be stored at any particular location at any one time is very strictly controlled by licence. Defence Munitions (DM) has an obligation to operate within these licensed limits. Steps (including dispersal to other locations if necessary) are taken to ensure that all DM establishments do not exceed their licensed limits. As a result the storage capacity at DM Gosport has not been exceeded at any time over the last two years.

Defence Munitions

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which unions were represented during the consultations on the Defence Munitions rationalisation study 2; and which areas of the country they represented.

Adam Ingram: The proposal to close Defence Munitions Dean Hill has the potential to affect more than 25 staff. Therefore, in accordance with Ministry of Defence regulations, formal consultation with the trade unions is being carried out at departmental level ie with the MOD Council of Civil Service Unions (MOD CCSU) and the MOD Industrial Whitley Council (MOD DIWC). This includes the following: Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU), Amicus (previously Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union (AEEU) and Manufacturing, Science and Finance (MSF), General, Municipal, Boilermakers and Allied Trades Union (GMB), Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT), Prospect, Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), Association of First Division Civil Servants (FDA), Defence Police Federation, the Chief Police Officer's Association and the Retired Officers Association.
	The formal trade unions consultation period is due to complete on 16 August 2002.

Defence Munitions

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what account has been taken of the whole life assessment of munitions, and increased travel times, in the event of the recommended closure of DM Dean Hill proceeding.

Adam Ingram: The process of weapon design addresses, inter alia, the issue of transportation. Where necessary to maintain the integrity and reliability of a weapon, customised packaging is provided to protect and preserve it during movement by whatever transportation medium is used, whether by road, rail or sea. Movement in approved packaging and by approved modes of transport has no impact on overall weapon life.

Defence Munitions

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate has been made of the increase in munitions carried by road and rail if the recommended closure of DM Dean Hill proceeds broken down by (a) volume carried and (b) increase in length of time during which munitions will be transported.

Adam Ingram: If the closure of Defence Munitions Dean Hill proceeds as planned the munitions currently stored at the Depot would be transferred to other Defence Munitions Establishments. As part of this dispersal activity it is planned to work together with customers and stakeholders to ensure that the resultant distribution of munitions stock more readily lines up with the required outload points for the munitions themselves. Once this re-positioning is completed, the overall planning assumption is that there would be no increase in the volume of munitions carried by road or rail. Likewise there would be no increase in the length in transportation time for the munitions stockpile as a whole.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Director of Public Prosecutions

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Solicitor-General when the Director of Public Prosecutions will publish his Annual report.

Harriet Harman: I can confirm that I have today placed copies of the Annual report in the Libraries.

Certified Timber

Joan Walley: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will list the refurbishment projects that (a) are in progress and (b) will start within the next six months; and what action is being taken to ensure that these will procure certified timber.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 11 June 2002
	My own Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, has plans to refurbish a part of the building it occupies within the next six months. This refurbishment involves painting and re-carpeting. It is unlikely that this process will involve the procurement of timber.
	The Treasury Solicitor's Department has no refurbishment projects in progress. It is planned to carry out repairs and decoration works to the external street frontages of the Department's headquarters building within the next six months. The project is unlikely to involve the procurement of timber.
	When timber is required, it is the Department's policy to instruct contractors that it must be obtained lawfully only from sustainable sources, and to verify that this is done.
	The Crown Prosecution Service has only one refurbishment project for the period in question, at Crown House, Portsmouth, which will commence in August 2002. The Crown Prosecution Service will procure the work by competitive tender through its managing agents. The agents use the National Building Specifications as part of the standard specification and this includes the requirement to use certified timber.
	The Serious Fraud Office has no refurbishment projects either in progress or due to start within the next six months.

Sentence Referrals

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Solicitor-General how many requests for referral of a sentence to the Court of Appeal on the grounds of undue lenience were received by her Department after the expiry of the 28 day time limit for such referrals in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 15 May 2002
	Relevant records are available only for the year 2000 onwards. The following figures are available:
	Year 2000
	one request for referral of a sentence to the Court of Appeal on the grounds of undue lenience was received by my Department after the expiry of the 28-day time limit;
	Year 2001
	three requests for referral of a sentence to the Court of Appeal on the grounds of undue lenience were received by my Department after the expiry of the 28-day time limit;
	Year 2002
	to date no request for referral of a sentence to the Court of Appeal on the grounds of undue lenience has been received by my Department after the expiry of the 28-day time limit.

Sick Leave

Oliver Heald: To ask the Solicitor-General how many days of sick leave were taken in her Department last year; how many related to employees suffering from (a) stress and (b) other mental health problems; and what the cost was to her Department.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 14 May 2002
	The latest annual report published by Cabinet Office "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service—2000" provides the latest figures available for each of the Departments for which the Attorney-General is responsible. The figures given for Treasury Solicitor's Department includes the figures for my own Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers.
	The number of days relating to stress and other mental health problems and the cost could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

EU Directives

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will list the EU directives and regulations that have been implemented through her Department in 2002; and what was the cost of each to public funds.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 1 July 2002
	None of the Departments for which the Attorney-General is responsible has implemented any EU directive or regulation.

EU Directives

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will list the EU directives relating to her Department which have been (a) amended and (b) repealed in 2002.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 1 July 2002
	None of the Departments for which the Attorney-General is responsible has had policy responsibility for the amendment or repeal of any EU directive in 2002.

Annual Leave

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General what the average annual leave entitlement is for staff in her Department in 2002.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 1 July 2002
	The Cabinet Office has set the leave entitlement for all staff in the senior civil service at 30 days.
	Leave entitlement for staff below the SCS is determined by grade and length of qualifying service and, in the Departments for which the Attorney-General is responsible, varies from 22 days to 31 days per annum.
	Average leave entitlement could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Performance Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General what has been the (a) cost and (b) saving from the pursuit of the Department's public service agreement targets in each year since they were introduced.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 17 June 2002
	The Law Officers' Department's public service agreement sets out the key outcomes it is committed to deliver with the resources provided, and its service delivery agreement sets out the key steps towards delivery of those targets. Every year the Department publishes performance against its targets—including on value for money—and the resources it has used in its departmental report.

Performance Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General what the (a) cost and (b) saving has been from the Department's pursuit of service delivery agreement targets in each year since they were introduced.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 18 June 2002
	I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I have given him today in respect of a similarly worded question.

Statutory Instruments

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General how many statutory instruments have been (a) introduced, (b) removed and (c) amended by her Department since 1 January; and what the (i) cost and (ii) saving has been in each case.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 1 July 2002
	The information is as follows: (a) None; (b) none; and (c) none.

Buildings Insurance

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General what the cost of buildings insurance to her Department was (a) before and (b) after 11 September 2001.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 8 July 2002
	The Departments for which the Attorney-General is responsible follow the Government's general policy on insurance, set out in Government Accounting, Chapter 30, paragraph 30.2.5, which notes that Government do not need to purchase insurance to protect the viability of its business, and should consider insurance only where the value of claims met would exceed the cost of insurance premiums.
	None of the Law Officers' Departments has entered into commercial insurance contracts in relation to buildings they occupy.

Building Values

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will list the buildings owned by her Department and estimate the market value of each of them.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 8 July 2002
	The National Asset Register, published in July 2001 (Cm 5221), lists assets owned by each Department and their valuation.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

LNM Holdings

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her answer of 4 July 2002, Official Report, column 539W, if the repayment schedule of the International Finance Corporation loan to Nova Hut steelworks has been renegotiated as a result of its recent acquisition by LNM Holdings.

Clare Short: I understand that the International Finance Corporation (IFC) is considering restructuring the loan to Nova Hut steelworks, but no proposals have yet come to the IFC Board.

Comprehensive Spending Review

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff have contributed to her Department's input to the Spending Review.

Clare Short: Work by staff on the Spending Review was led by our Finance and Corporate Performance Division but also entailed contributions from many staff across all divisions of DFID. No staff have worked full-time on the Spending Review.

Education Taskforce Report

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans there are for (a) taking forward the education task force report, officially endorsed at the G8 Summit, and (b) committing funds to do so.

Clare Short: The G8 Education Task Force Report made recommendations about the need for developing country commitment to Education for All (EFA), the response required from developed countries, and the need for better assessment of performance. It concluded that political commitment at the country level, the provision of adequate domestic financing, and the development of sound education strategies are the foundations for achieving EFA.
	At Kananaskis, G8 leaders undertook to significantly increase the support provided by their bilateral aid agencies to basic education for countries with a strong policy and financial commitment to the sector, particularly in Africa; but no specific sums were pledged. It was agreed that each G8 donor will make public the steps it will take to fulfil this commitment.
	The Report also addresses the development of a more coherent international process for delivering EFA. It supported closer cooperation between the World bank and UNESCO in moving the EFA process forward. More specifically, it suggested that the UNESCO High Level Group on Education for All continues to meet annually to provide broad political direction and maintain the momentum for EFA; and that a high-quality, annual monitoring report on global progress toward EFA be produced, based on the best data available from national governments, the World bank and other sources.

Primary Education

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the G8 will provide the additional resources required to deliver good quality primary education to the group of 18 countries selected to receive immediate financing.

Clare Short: At the Kananaskis summit, G8 leaders agreed to significantly increase the support provided by their bilateral agencies to basic education for countries with a strong policy and financial commitment to the sector, and to make public the steps that each G8 donor will make to fulfil this commitment.
	The World bank's fast track initiative is to offer 18 poor countries the chance to qualify for additional financing for primary education if they can demonstrate that their Governments are fully committed and have effective policies in place. A further five countries can apply for assistance in building capacity, filling gaps in data and developing effective policies for primary education. Further discussions about implementing this initiative will be held in Washington on 17 July.

HIV/AIDS

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the contribution to the crisis in Southern Africa of (a) HIV/AIDS, (b) sanitation and (c) quality and quantity of water; and how it is taking its findings into account in its approach to the emergency.

Clare Short: HIV/AIDS is both a contributor to and a likely consequence of current food shortages in Southern Africa. The burden of disease has contributed to families' inability to grow enough food or earn the money to buy it; and shortage of food is leading women to trade sex for survival, to family separations and to reduced access to medical care. In assessing vulnerability NGOs and international organisations through whom we are working are taking account of the need to provide AIDS-affected families with appropriate rations and to design delivery mechanisms which will reach them; and to prevent widespread hunger leading to large scale population movement.
	We have made no specific assessment of the contribution of lack of access to water and sanitation to the current crisis, but expect needs in this sector to figure in forthcoming UN appeals.

Sub-Saharan Africa

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to ensure adequate storage facilities for clean water in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Clare Short: At the national and regional level reservoirs provide security against inter and intra annual variations in rainfall. At the local and household level water storage systems are an important factor to ensure that drinking water does not become contaminated. Our focus in water supply is on sustainable access to safe and affordable drinking water. Storage is an important part of this, and we support initiatives ranging from the work of the World Commission on Dams to rainwater harvesting, and groundwater development. But we also emphasize the importance of other factors that affect sustainability, such as appropriate institutional structures, cost recovery for operation and maintenance, and the involvement of local communities to ensure that services respond to their needs. Last year we provided £30 million for water related programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Sub-Saharan Africa

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what impact a lack of decent transport facilities has had on the supply of clean drinking water to people in sub-Saharan Africa.

Clare Short: Good transport facilities help provide access to school and health care facilities, and improved access to agricultural inputs and markets. We have not made any specific studies of the impact of transportation on access to clean water. But improved transport facilities clearly improve access for construction materials, for spare parts and for maintenance of existing water systems. Intermediate transport, such as improved bicycles, donkey carts and handcarts all contribute to reducing the load carrying drudgery of the poor—particularly women and children—releasing time for other livelihood and household activities and to attend school.

Parliamentary Questions

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she has taken to (a) monitor and (b) record the length of time between tabling of ordinary written questions to her Department and her Department's answers.

Sally Keeble: Monitoring and recording of the time between tabling written questions and sending them to Official Report is done both manually and electronically. These are checked daily to ensure that, wherever possible, the time is within the approved target of five working days as prescribed by the Cabinet Office.

Small Enterprise Development Agency

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations her Department has recently received regarding the institutional development of the Small Enterprise Development Agency.

Sally Keeble: Since 1999 we have supported the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) with almost £1 million to enable it to expand its micro-finance services to the poor, especially women and the rural poor. SEDA has recently discussed with officials the possibility of further support to strengthen its institutional capacity and resources. Any future support to SEDA will be considered as part of our new integrated programme to support the pro-poor development of Tanzania's financial services sector.

Micro-finance Institutions

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations her Department has recently received regarding her Department's support of micro-finance institutions in Uganda.

Clare Short: DFID is providing £7.1 million for micro-finance institutions in Uganda for financial services to poor people, particularly in rural areas. These programmes are at very early stages and their first formal review is due later this year. However preliminary indications are that they are on track to meet the programme's targets. Several initiatives are also co-funded with other donors, and we are co-operating closely with them, industry stakeholders and the Government of Uganda to ensure best practice, maximum co-ordination and impact.

Micro-finance Institutions

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent representations her Department has received regarding the review of microfinance institutions in Kenya which her Department supports.

Clare Short: We are not aware of any review of DFID-supported microfinance institutions specific to Kenya. However, a peer review of DFID's international activities in microfinance, including those in Kenya, by other international agencies took place in May. We are currently considering our response to the review report which arrived in early July.

Micro-finance Institutions

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of microfinance institutions supported by her Department make available voluntary savings facilities.

Clare Short: Where local banking laws permit, and practice varies from country to country, microfinance institutions are invariably keen to make available voluntary savings facilities. In eastern Africa, two-thirds of DFID- supported microfinance programmes make voluntary savings facilities available in some form. This proportion is likely to be reasonably representative of DFID-supported programmes elsewhere.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Bishops' Residences

Gordon Prentice: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, what the cost was of maintaining the bishops' residences for the most recent year for which figures are available.

Stuart Bell: The overall spending by the Commissioners on bishops' housing and office premises in 2001 was £3.3 million, broken down as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 Building maintenance and repairs 1.1 
			 External property management costs 0.2 
			 Staff 0.9 
			 Council tax, insurance and other running costs 0.6 
			 Lambeth Palace Library running costs 0.4 
			 Support services 0.1 
			 Depreciation 0.2 
			 Rent paid 0.1 
			 Rental income (0.3) 
		
	
	Suffragan bishops' houses are owned by the dioceses.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 11 June from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Miss G. Persse.

Andrew Smith: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 15 July.

Software

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is towards using open source software; and what percentage is used in his Department.

Ian McCartney: The Department for Work and Pensions will follow the Government policy when published in summer 2002.
	Currently open source software (OSS) is not deployed in any of the Department's national or mainstream IT systems. Figures for any use by individuals within the Department are not available, but any such use is minimal and isolated from the Department's major business systems. The Department actively reviews its position on OSS with our IT providers, on a continuous basis, ensuring we are aware of the latest IT industry thinking.

Disclosure of Interests

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what rules apply to the disclosure of interests on the part of those serving on public bodies which are responsible to his Department.

Ian McCartney: All advisory, executive and tribunal non-departmental public bodies are required to adopt a board members' code of practice, based on guidance produced by the Cabinet Office. Copies are being placed in the Libraries with the exception of:
	Disability Employment Advisory Committee (DEAC)—This group was established on 1 April 2002. Members have yet to be appointed.
	National Employment Panel (NEP)—This group was established in October 2001. The Code of Practice will be placed as soon as it becomes operational.
	The pensions ombudsman is an individual appointment and conduct is covered in the appointment letter.

Retirement Pensions

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if pensioners who have entitlement to two Category B retirement pensions will continue to be able to claim and receive the higher one.

Ian McCartney: It has always been the intention to pay the higher Category B pension but because of the way the legislation was consolidated in 1992, the choice to take the higher amount was removed. This was unintentional. We will continue to pay the more beneficial rate as an extra statutory payment. We shall note the annual departmental resource account and will legislate to correct the position at the earliest opportunity.

Means-tested Benefits

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer to the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field), of 27 June 2002, Official Report, column 1066W, if he will break down the total sum for spending on means-tested benefits for pensioners into figures for each of the main means-tested benefits.

Ian McCartney: The information is not available in the format requested. The cost of the main income related benefits to people aged 60 and over for 2002–03 are shown in the table:
	
		£ million 
		
			 Income related benefits  
		
		
			 Minimum income guarantee 4,275 
			 Housing benefit 4,620 
			 Council tax benefit 1,520 
			  
			 Total 10,415 
		
	
	Source:
	Departmental Report 2002

Child Benefit

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his letter of 5 July 2002 to members of the Committee that considered the Social Security (Electronic Communication) (Child Benefit) Order 2002, what proportion of downloads of child benefit claim forms from the existing website are made by women; and what proportion of existing child benefit claimants are women.

Malcolm Wicks: It is not possible to differentiate between men and women downloading existing electronic claim forms. 95.5 per cent. of child benefit customers are women.

NIRS2

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what basis the figures on page 38 of the latest departmental report, Command Paper 5424 on NIRS2 availability was calculated with particular reference to the other 1 per cent.; and if he will make a statement on those for whom NIRS2 is not available.

Ian McCartney: The availability of the NIRS system is a contractional matter between the Inland Revenue and the supplier, Accenture. The figures used in the latest departmental report were supplied under these arrangements.

Pension Funds

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his reply of 1 July 2002, to the right hon. Member for North-East Hampshire (Mr. Arbuthnot), Official Report, column 8, how much tax has been paid by pension funds in each year since the withdrawal of advance corporation tax relief; and if he will make a statement on the level of extra business investment there has been in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply
	Pension funds are not normally liable to tax and the abolition of advance corporation tax, which was widely welcomed, did not impose a tax liability. Total business investment, measured at constant prices, has increased markedly from £93.1 billion in 1997 and stood at £113.1 billion in 2001.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Veterinary Medicines Directorate

Roger Casale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what targets she has set the Veterinary Medicines Directorate for 2002–03.

Elliot Morley: I have set the Veterinary Medicines Directorate the following performance targets for 2002–03.
	Safety and quality
	1. Provide high quality scientific assessment work.
	2. Provide high quality policy advice to Ministers.
	3. Comply with the timetables for entering SAR reports set out in the plan and to report to the VPC each quarter reviewing trends in SAR reports and identifying areas requiring evaluation.
	4. Meet, in full, the requirements of the Residues Surveillance Plans.
	Standards of service
	5. Comply with the timetables for handling applications under the centralised, decentralised and UK procedure set out in the plan.
	Efficiency
	6. Continue to collect data for 2002–03 with a view to establishing a three-year rolling average cost efficiency index. Establish a numerical baseline for timeliness of delivery from the results of customer satisfaction surveys.
	Financial control
	7. Recover from industry and Government the full economic cost taken as a whole of its main business activities of:
	Licensing and surveillance,
	Policy work, and
	Residues monitoring,
	without any cross subsidy between these businesses.
	PLAN
	Suspected Adverse Reaction Surveillance Scheme Reports.
	Enter human reports onto the database within two working days.
	Enter serious animal reports onto the database within two working days.
	Enter non-serious animal reports onto the database within 10 working days.
	Centralised procedures
	All assessments (including MRLs) to be submitted within timetables agreed with the EMEA.
	Decentralised procedures
	All authorisations to be determined within the established regulatory timetables.
	UK procedures
	New Marketing Authorisations to be determined or referred to VPC in an average of 120 clock days; all to be determined within 210 clock days.
	Type I variations
	Average time to complete first assessment to be less than 25 clock days.
	Average time to sign off assessment to be less than 50 clock days.
	99 per cent. of applications to be signed off by 60 clock days.
	Type II variations
	Average time to complete first assessment to be less than 55 clock days.
	Average time to sign off assessment to be less than 110 clock days.
	99 per cent. of applications to be signed off by 120 clock days.
	Renewals
	Average time to complete first assessment to be less than 80 clock days.
	Average time to sign off assessment to be less than 165 clock days.
	99 per cent. of applications to be signed off by 180 clock days.

Game Birds (Feed Additives)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many game birds have been tested for dimetridazole in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what proportion of them had unacceptable dimetridazole levels.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 11 July 2002
	No residue of dimetridazole is considered acceptable in a food producing animal. Since 1997 the Veterinary Medicines Directorate has tested 272 samples from game birds. In 1997 dimetridazole residues were detected in four samples. Since then there have been no residues of dimetridazole detected in game birds. The following table sets out these figures in detail.
	
		
			  Year Number of samples tested Number with dimetridazole residues 
		
		
			 1997 120 4 
			 1998 54 0 
			 1999 33 0 
			 2000 33 0 
			 2001 32 0

Game Birds (Feed Additives)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received from (a) the French Government, (b) the European Commission and (c) other organisations regarding the use of feed additives in exported game birds.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 11 July 2002
	The European Commission has recently raised with us an issue on the authorisation of dimetridazole for use in rearing of game birds in the UK. We expect these discussions to continue over the next few weeks. As part of this process we have been discussing this issue with a number of interested parties, including representatives from the UK game bird industry. We have not, to date, had any representations on this issue from the French Government.

Correspondence

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letters from the right hon. Member for Berwick- upon-Tweed dated 3 December 2001 and 13 May 2002, concerning the rights of residents under section 54 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Elliot Morley: We have no record of receiving the hon. Member's letters of 3 December 2001 and 13 May 2002.

Correspondence

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason she has not responded to the letter from the hon. Member for West Derbyshire of 18 April regarding agrimonetary compensation for dairy farmers.

Elliot Morley: We have no record of receiving the hon. Member's letter of 18 April.

Seeds

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2002, Official Report, columns 473–74W, what the timetable is for consultation and changes to the Seeds (National List of Varieties) Regulations.

Elliot Morley: Ministers are still considering options for amending the arrangements for requesting a hearing on proposed National List decisions, in consultation with the devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We intend to consult all interested parties during the summer on proposals for change.

Food Imports

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the percentage of containers which were subjected to inspection at ports of entry as a proportion of (a) containers whose shippers declare them to contain food products and (b) containers overall in each of the last three years.

Elliot Morley: Commercial consignments declared as meat or most other products of animal origin from non EU countries must be pre notified to the Border Inspection Post of arrival and all are subject to documentary and identity checks. The minimum proportion subject to physical checks is set out in EU law and is dependent on the product—at least 20 per cent. in the case of beef, pork and lamb and at least 50 per cent. in the case of poultry, game and honey.
	Consignments of other food products do not generally have to be pre-notified nor do they have to arrive at a Border Inspection Post but they must be accompanied by an accurate manifest. Checks on other food products are determined by the food safety risk associated with the product.
	Checks are carried out on consignments rather than containers. The number of containers involved is not recorded as a consignment may consist of part of a container load or of one or more containers. The numbers of consignments of products of animal origin imported from non EU countries and submitted for veterinary checks in the last three years were as follows:
	1999: 50,434
	2000: 52,305
	2001: 55,562.

Food Imports

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on her policy in relation to standards of animal hygiene and welfare in countries exporting meat to the United Kingdom.

Elliot Morley: Imports into the United Kingdom of animal products are governed by Community legislation, which protects both animal and public health. Under these rules only third countries approved by the Commission on the advice of the Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health may export into the Community, and only from establishments which meet Community hygiene standards. The lists of countries and establishments allowed to export particular products into the Community, are available on the Commission's website at the following address: http://forum.europa.eu.int/irc/sanco/ vets/info/data/listes/table0.html.
	Responsibility for ensuring that third countries meet these requirements lies with the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) of the European Commission. FVO mission reports are published on their website at: http://europa.eu.int/ comm/food/fs/inspections/vi/reports/index_en.html.
	The Government have made clear the importance they attach to developing and maintaining high welfare standards for all animals both domestically and internationally.

Food Imports

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the restrictions imposed and warnings given at ports and airports against the covert importing of meat.

Elliot Morley: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is working closely with all the enforcement bodies and with stakeholders to ensure that we have the necessary controls in place to reduce the risk of illegal imports of meat and animal products entering the country.
	An Action Plan of work for 2002–03 to reduce this risk is being implemented by the Department. Key elements of the plan include a risk assessment, a strengthening of the legal powers available to enforcement officers, and enhanced deterrence and detection alongside improved publicity for the issue.
	On 8 July DEFRA launched a summer publicity campaign aimed at making the public more aware of the restrictions on importing meat and animal products for personal use from outside the EU and the reasons for these restrictions. Baseline research was commissioned to establish general awareness before the campaign and this will be followed up in the autumn to assess the effectiveness of this first stage of the publicity campaign. This campaign is just part of a longer term strategy to inform and educate the public on this matter.

Food Imports

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to discuss the introduction of a fixed penalty system applying to illegal imports carried as personal baggage.

Elliot Morley: The Government published an Action Plan in March that aims to reduce the risk of introducing animal and plant diseases entering the country. In carrying out this Action Plan the Government are investigating a variety of deterrents, taking into account the experience of other countries. One of the deterrents being considered is on-the-spot fines and initial discussions are being held with the enforcement agencies on the practicalities of such a deterrent, as well as with officials of other countries who have adopted this measure.

Food Imports

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has been involved in with regard to the proposals for harmonising the regulation and inspection of imports throughout the EU.

Elliot Morley: Harmonised EU rules are already in place for the control and inspection of imports from third countries of live animals and animal products.
	The UK Government have been pressing the European Commission for clarification and strengthening of the rules on personal imports of meat and animal products throughout the EU since January 2001.
	The Commission produced a draft regulation in June 2002 and following discussion with the UK and other member states this was redrafted, reflecting the concerns of the UK, among others. The new draft Commission Regulation is due to be voted on in September 2002.

Curry Report

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received from farmers in respect of the proposal in the Curry report to raise the level of modulation from 4.5 per cent. to 10 per cent.

Elliot Morley: This proposal has attracted a varied response from farmers and farming organisations—including concern about the possible impact on farm incomes and support for the potentially positive effect on rural development funding. The Government are committed to shifting expenditure from production-linked subsidies to wider agri-environment and rural development measures.
	A final decision on the proposal will be taken after extensive consultation, including with the devolved Administrations. The decision will also need to take account of negotiations on the European Commission's "Mid-Term Review" proposals for reform of the common agricultural policy, which include the introduction of compulsory modulation across the European Union, initially at 3 per cent. but rising to a level of 20 per cent. after six or seven years.

Curry Report

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department has taken on implementing recommendations of the Curry report.

Elliot Morley: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced on 26 March a series of early actions as a first step towards implementing the report. At the same time, a comprehensive process of engagement with a wide range of stakeholders was launched. This process has included a series of regional and sectoral events and the publication of a document, "Sustainable Food and Farming: Working Together", both of which have explored how to translate the Commission's vision into action.
	Feedback from stakeholders is now being analysed and will help inform construction of a Strategy for Sustainable Food and Farming in England, to be launched in the autumn. The strategy will incorporate a definitive response to all of the Policy Commission's recommendations.

Plant and Animal Control Systems

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to harmonise the control systems for plants and animals with special reference to improving co-operation between the port health authorities and the Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate.

Elliot Morley: The Cabinet Office are undertaking a study into how the various parts of Government control the import of animals, plants, and animal and plant products. The study will take place over the summer. Arrangements for co-operation between port health authorities and DEFRA's Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate will be reviewed in the light of the outcome of that study.

Animal Diseases

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what strains of (a) swine fever and (b) foot and mouth disease have been found over the past five years.

Elliot Morley: In the United Kingdom, the outbreaks of classical swine fever that occurred in East Anglia during 2000 were caused by a strain of virus belonging to genotype 2.1 and the foot and mouth disease outbreak during 2001 was caused by the pan asia strain of type O virus.
	Other than these outbreaks in the United Kingdom, the most comprehensive source of information of disease strains identified is on the OIE website. http://www.oie.int/ eng/info/hebdo/A—DSUM.htm gives information of outbreaks of disease worldwide since 2001 and http:// www.oie.int/eng/press/a—20000922a.htm gives information on strains of diseases found in outbreaks in Europe in 2000. Both of these sites give information on swine fever and foot and mouth disease.

Advisory Committee Mandate

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the mandate of the Committee on organic production of agricultural products and indications referring thereto on agricultural products and foodstuffs is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if she will list the items currently under its consideration; if she will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The mandate of the Regulatory Committee on Organic Farming is set out in Article 14 of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2092/91. Standard rules of procedure were adopted by the Commission on 31 January 2001 in accordance with Council Regulation 1999/468/EC.
	The Regulatory Committee on Organic Farming met three times during 2001. (The UK attended a further 18 meetings of working groups supporting the Committee.) The meetings were attended by officials from the Department.
	The annual costs are estimated to be £14,000 in travel and subsistence expenses. The meetings, including preparation time and activities following the meetings, take approximately 150 staff days per annum.
	Items under consideration by the Committee in the last year include:
	amending Commission Regulation (EEC) No. 94/92 laying down detailed rules for implementing the arrangements for imports from third countries provided for in Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2092/91;
	amending Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1788/2001 laying down detailed rules for implementing the provisions concerning a certificate of inspection for imports from third countries;
	amending Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2092/91 in respect of labelling and inspection requirements and precautionary measures for animal feeding stuffs, compound feeding stuffs and feed materials; and
	amending Annexe VI parts A and B to Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2092/91 with regard to livestock products and fruit wines.
	Together with member states, the Commission is currently conducting a review to bring existing legislation on the conduct of comitology committees into line with Council Decision 1999/468/EC, to "simplify the requirements for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission".
	As an obligation to this decision, the Commission undertook to publish an annual report on the working of committees. The first report was deposited in the Libraries of both Houses on 26 February 2002 (Com (2001) 783 Final.
	As part of the review process, the UK Government have encouraged the Commission to produce and maintain an electronic database of every comitology committee, its agendas and recent actions, to be accessible through its website.

Lapwings

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations have been made to her Department regarding rural lapwing population decline; and what measures her Department is taking to address this decline.

Michael Meacher: The Department has sponsored extensive research over a number of years with the British Trust for Ornithology, the RSPB, and other organisations to try to identify the causes of the decline in lapwing and other farmland birds. The Department works closely with these organisations on formulating remedial measures. The Department is already diverting money from agricultural subsidies in the UK to double the size of our agri-environment scheme over the seven years of the England Rural Development Programme. The schemes include valuable incentives to encourage farmland birds such as the lapwing.

Water Level Management

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures her Department has taken to ensure that water level management plans are commensurate to their intended purpose; and what resources her Department has made available to implement these measures.

Elliot Morley: DEFRA provides guidance to the operating authorities (Environment Agency, internal drainage boards and local authorities) which prepare water level management plans (WLMPs). However, the Department does not approve the final plans and it is down to the operating authority to ensure that the plan is fit for its intended purpose. In terms of nature conservation, WLMPs must be agreed with English Nature.
	While the Department has not funded the preparation of plans, we are grant-aiding flood management works arising from their implementation. We also fund and maintain a database of sites which records operating authorities progress in producing and implementing plans.
	In 1999 DEFRA set up a WLMP Advisory Group which considers significant issues arising from the WLMP preparation and implementation processes and endeavours to identify solutions. The advisory group is currently preparing guidance to operating authorities on the impact of the habitats regulations on WLMPs.

Water Level Management

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to make the production of water level management plans eligible for grant aid.

Elliot Morley: The majority of water level management plans are now either complete, or awaiting approval by English Nature. The next stage is to ensure that the plans are implemented and reviewed. There are no plans by this Department to provide grant aid to assist with WLMP preparation.

Wildlife Preservation

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) information and (b) incentives her Department provides to farmers regarding the establishment of field margins for wildlife preservation.

Elliot Morley: Cereal field margins are a priority habitat under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, with a target of 12,725 hectares under sympathetic management in England by 2010. The Department has been actively encouraging the management of field margins by making grants available in schemes such as Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Areas. As a result, the cereal field margin target has been exceeded almost 10 years ahead of schedule.
	Grant aid is available for six and two-metre grass margins, beetle banks and uncropped strips. The new Countryside Stewardship arable options, introduced earlier this year, have added wildlife mixtures and conservation headlands to this list.
	The Department funds ADAS and FWAG to provide free advice to farmers on a range of conservation issues, including the wildlife friendly management of field margins. DEFRA also co-funds a range of conservation leaflets with RSPB, which include advice and guidance on practical management of field margins.

Rights of Way

Andrew Bennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out the timetable for implementing part I of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 in order to achieve her Public Service Agreement target of opening up public access to mountain, moor, heath and down and registered common land by the end of 2005.

Alun Michael: Various regulations must be put in place in order that land may be opened up for access under Part I of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. I recently laid before Parliament regulations on the issue of provisional and conclusive maps of open country and registered common land, including appeals against provisional maps. This will enable the Countryside Agency to issue the first provisional map in England which will apply to the south-east. The table records the overall progress we have made towards consulting on these provisions and bringing them into force together with our current timetable for completing the process. The precise timing of each of the remaining intermediate stages may vary but we are firmly committed to meeting our Public Service Agreement target and I am currently considering whether the final stage can be implemented region by region ahead of the target date.
	
		
			 Regulations Section Consultation commenced Consultation ended Date regulations in force 
		
		
			 Regulations regarding mapping of access land and consultation on draft maps 11 March 2001 20 June 2001 1 November 2001 
			 Regulations regarding issue of provisional maps, appeals, and issue of conclusive maps 11 November 2001 8 February 2002 29 July 2002 
			 Regulations regarding the establishment of local access forums and the appointment of members (4)94 July 2001 23 October 2001 August 2002 
			 Regulations regarding dedication of land for access 16 January 2002 15 April 2002 November 2002 
			 Regulations relating to exclusion or restriction of access under Chapter II, including appeals (but not emergencies) 32 December 2001 22 March 2002 December 2002 
			 Regulations on removal or relaxation of restrictions on access land and to exclude access in emergencies (including appeals) (5)31 January 2003 — August 2003 
			 Regulations on appeals relating to notices 38 February 2003 — September 2003 
			 References to public places in existing enactments 42 February 2003 — October 2003 
			 Regulations regarding review of conclusive maps 11 February 2004 — August 2004 
		
	
	(4) Part V
	(5) Paragraph 7, Schedule 2
	Under the Countryside Agency's current published timetable for the mapping of open country and registered common land, the final provisional map in England would be issued by the end of March 2004.

Committee Mandates

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the mandate of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if she will list the items currently under its consideration; if she will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The mandate of the Scientific Committee on Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment is set out in Commission Decision 97/579EC. The UK is not formally represented on the Committee; members are directly appointed by the Commission, drawn from across the EU, on the basis of their scientific expertise.

Committee Mandates

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the mandate of the Advisory Committee on Agriculture and the Environment is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if she will list the items currently under its consideration; if she will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The mandate of the Advisory Committee on Agriculture and Environment is set out in Commission Decision 98/235/EC. The UK is not formally represented on the Committee; members are directly appointed by the Commission, drawn from across the EU.
	The Commission, together with member states, is currently conducting a review to bring existing legislation on the conduct of comitology committees into line with Council Decision 1999/468/EC, to 'simplify the requirements for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission'. As an obligation to this Decision, the Commission undertook to publish an annual report on the working of committees. The first report was deposited in the Libraries of both Houses on 26 February (Com (2001) 783 Final). As part of the review process, the UK Government have encouraged the Commission to produce and maintain an electronic database of every comitology committee, its agendas and recent actions, to be available through its website.

Foot and Mouth

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  from where the pig suspected of foot and mouth and swine vesicular disease which was slaughtered in Leicestershire on 21 June originated;
	(2)  what measures her Department is taking to identify the origin of the pig suspected of foot and mouth disease and swine vesicular disease.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 2 July 2002
	All farms supplying pigs to the abattoir in question, together with a market and a collecting centre, were traced and inspected by official veterinarians. No disease was found. However, due to deficiencies in the identification of the suspect pig and a number of others in the same batch at the abattoir, inquiries so far have not established which of 17 farms was the farm of origin of the suspect animal. I have met pig industry representatives to discuss the implications of this episode. Investigations continue into what appear to have been serious breaches of identification regulations and prosecutions may follow. This could have had major consequences for the livestock industry should this pig had been proved to be carrying a disease.

Foot and Mouth

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many invoices remain to be paid to contractors over work carried out on foot and mouth; how many contractors are owed money; how many companies are owed over (a) 10 per cent., (b) 20 per cent., (c) 30 per cent., (d) 40 per cent., (e) 50 per cent., (f) 60 per cent., (g) 70 per cent. and (h) 80 per cent. of invoices submitted to her Department; what the length of period is of unpaid invoices; how much has been paid on account of unpaid invoices; how many contractors have money paid on account; and what the percentage terms are per contractor.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 16 July 2002
	I refer my hon. Friend to Figure 60 in Chapter 4 of the recent NAO report 'The 2001 Outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease' published on 18 June 2002. The report is available on the NAO's website on: http://www.nao.gov.uk/publications/ naoreports/01–02/0102939.pdf. Information other than that provided in the NAO report cannot be provided for reasons of legal and commercial confidentiality.

Foot and Mouth

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if the UK Government have applied for EU compensation under Article 20 of Council Regulation 2759/1975 for farmers who were subjected to movement restrictions during the recent foot and mouth crisis; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Article 20 of Regulation (EEC) No. 2759/75 of the Council of 29 October 1975 on the common organisation of the market in pigmeat provides that exceptional measures may be taken to support any market affected by restrictions on free circulation imposed in consequence of measures to prevent the spread of animal disease.
	Introduction of exceptional support measures is dependent on the member state being able to demonstrate that the restrictions due to a disease outbreak have caused severe market distortion. While the impact on those caught up in the control measures was severe, the UK pig market overall did not exhibit clear indications of distortion.
	The cull sow market was most severely affected by the export restrictions linked to the foot and mouth outbreak, and officials explored the possibility of a market support based solution with the European Commission—either exceptional market support under the CAP pigmeat regime and/or a cull sow disposal scheme. The Commission were not encouraging on either; although there are precedents for exceptional market support measures in animal disease situations, these have always been restricted to protection/surveillance zones. A scheme restricted in this way was not seen by the pig industry as being of any help to the cull sow market. A nationally funded cull sow disposal scheme was considered by the Commission to be income support; which is prohibited by state aid rules. Therefore no application for such support was made.

Driving Lessons (Teenagers)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2002, Official Report, column 213W, on driving lessons (teenagers), if she will list the 21 schemes by location and the (a) numbers and (b) proportion of teenagers who will benefit.

Alun Michael: The 21 locations in which Wheels to Work schemes are currently operating are:
	Cambridgeshire
	Suffolk
	Norfolk
	Hampshire (New Forest)
	Isle of Wight
	Kent (Aylesham area)
	Devon (Torridge)
	Devon (West Devon)
	Dorset
	Gloucestershire
	Somerset
	Wiltshire
	Nottinghamshire
	Herefordshire
	Shropshire (Bridgnorth, N. Shropshire)
	Telford and Wrekin
	Warwickshire
	Worcestershire
	South Lancashire (Runshaw College)
	Hambleton and Richmondshire
	Selby.
	Of the 21 schemes, six offer subsidised driving lessons: the Isle of Wight, Devon (West Devon), Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire.
	Information on the numbers of teenagers benefiting from the schemes is not held centrally. The good practice guide on Wheels to Work schemes, due to be published later this month, will includes some information on beneficiaries and target groups together with case studies and costings for a number of Wheels to Work schemes.

Green Ministers

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the outcomes of meetings of Green Ministers have been in respect of her Department's activities; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: Following the general election in June 2001, the previously informal Green Ministers Committee was upgraded to a Cabinet Sub-Committee of ENV and it is established practice under exemption two of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees.
	The terms of reference for the Committee include the commitment to improve the performance of all Departments in contributing to sustainable development. DEFRA has been active in this area, for instance the Department's strategy for sustainable development "Foundations for our Future" was published in June 2002. The purpose of this strategy is to initiate change in the way the Department approaches its responsibilities and to ensure better and more sustainable outcomes. The strategy will be supported by a programme of events and activities for all DEFRA's staff over the next few months. These will explore the way in which the Department carries out is business and how each person can contribute to achieving our aim of sustainable development. This will put the spotlight on projects demonstrating best practice.

Environmental Protection Act

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if it is the policy of the Government to modify the requirement in section 151 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 that a dog when in a public place must wear a collar with a tag or a plate attached giving the name and address of the owner even if it is microchipped.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 8 July 2002
	Dogs in a public place are required to wear a collar with a tag or a plate attached giving the name and address of the owner, as specified under section 151 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, even if the dog is microchipped. We have no plans to modify this.

Village Halls

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the recent research published by the Countryside Agency relating to the number of parishes with access to a village hall.

Alun Michael: holding answer 12 July 2002
	In 1997 the Countryside Agency published research which showed that 72 per cent. of villages had a village hall. The definition has been refined following responses to that research which indicated that some villages have a community hall which is technically not a "village hall" but fulfils largely the same purpose. In November 2001 the Countryside Agency published a report entitled "Rural Services in 2000" which revealed that 85 per cent. of parishes had a village hall or a community hall in 2000. The proportion of parishes with a hall is 32 per cent. for those below 100 population, 77 per cent. for those with between 100 and 300 people, 92 per cent. for those between 300 and 500, 94 per cent. for those between 500 and 1,000, 95 per cent. for those between 1,000 and 2,000, 98 per cent. for those between 2,000 and 5,000, and 96 per cent. for those over 5,000.
	Village halls can play a vital role in rural communities as multi-purpose community centres and hubs for village life. We are supporting the development of active local communities and parish and town councils in a variety of ways; the village hall as a hub for social activity and service provision fits in well with our policy objectives, and support of village halls and the activities that take place there is available from a range of public sector and other sources.

Scottish Agriculture

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received from NFU Scotland with respect to the defence of Scottish agricultural interests in the European Union.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 16 July 2002
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, receives representations from the NFU Scotland from time to time on a range of agricultural issues. However, there have been no recent examples.

Scottish Agriculture

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received from the Scottish Executive with respect to the defence of Scottish agricultural interests in the European Union.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 16 July 2002
	There is an on-going dialogue with the Scottish Executive across a wide range of issues which affect Scottish agriculture. Most recently, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met with Ministers, or their representatives, from the devolved Administrations in Brussels on 15 July prior to the EU Agriculture Council meeting. The Commission's communication on the mid-term review of the common agricultural policy was the main focus of discussion.

French Beef Ban

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she last discussed the French beef ban with (a) the French Agriculture Minister, (b) the Scottish Executive, (c) the EU Commission and (d) the Prime Minister.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 16 July 2002
	The Secretary of State regularly discusses the French ban on British beef with the French Agriculture Minister and EU Commission, including at Agriculture Councils. She also regularly discusses the ban with Ministers in the devolved Administrations. The Prime Minister raised the ban with the French Prime Minister on 15 July and with the French President on 19 June.

Agriculture Council

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the outcome was of the Agriculture Council held on 15 July; what the Government's stance was on each issue discussed, including its voting record; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: I represented the United Kingdom at the meeting of the Agriculture Council in Brussels on 15 July. The Welsh Minister for Rural Development and Wales Abroad and the Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development also attended.
	This was the first Council meeting of the Danish presidency which accordingly introduced its work programme for the six months ahead.
	The main item of business was a public debate on the mid-term review of the CAP. The Commission introduced its outline proposals and member states gave initial reactions. I welcomed the general direction of the changes proposed, but indicated where they fell short of what the UK believes is required to modernise the CAP. The proposals will be further considered by Ministers in September; officials will start detailed examination of them next week.
	The Council discussed the Commission's proposal for a mandate to open negotiations on modification of the bound duties for rice and cereals. Delegations, including the UK, expressed a range of reservations about the proposal. The Commission will be looking to narrow its scope and take further soundings at official level.
	The Council held a policy debate on Commission proposals for control of zoonoses. The Commission reported progress on establishment of the European Food Safety Authority and briefed the Council on progress made on its food safety White Paper.

Shellfish

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on progress relating to the shellfish licensing system.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 27 June 2002
	We are committed to the introduction of a shellfish licensing scheme. Officials are currently considering the timing and format of such a scheme.

DEFRA v. Asda Stores and Others

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the judgment of the High Court in the case of DEFRA v. Asda Stores and others.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 2 July 2002
	The Department's appeal in this case was dismissed in the High Court on 24 June. The Department has considered the implications of the judgment and has lodged an application for leave to appeal to the House of Lords. EU horticultural marketing standards continue to be directly applicable in the UK as in other member states, and the holder of products covered by the marketing standards is responsible for observing them.

Flooding

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research has been undertaken to update maps of indicative inland flood risk areas as a result of recent flooding; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The Environment Agency, with support from DEFRA, has a number of current initiatives to improve information on flood risk. These include a national database of all defences and further investments in flood risk mapping. The best means of presenting all this information in a readily accessible form is currently under active discussion.

Flooding

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what evaluation has been undertaken of the effectiveness of the Environment Agency in responding to the flooding of autumn 2000; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The Autumn 2000 Lessons Learned report gathered information from the Environment Agency and all of its emergency partners. I support the main conclusion of this report, that a seamless and integrated flood forecasting, warning and response service had been delivered. The report put forward a number of actions and recommendations that have largely been concluded. Some of these have been further considered as part of the recent consultation on the Flood and Coastal Defence Funding Review, and others were referred to in the Cabinet Office Emergency Planning Review—The Future of Emergency Planning in England and Wales. The Agency has also recently commissioned an independent external audit, which should provide a further independent assessment of its effectiveness.

Egg Industry

Richard Page: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the egg industry's ability to pay the cost of implementing the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2002.

Elliot Morley: A full regulatory impact assessment concerning the cost of implementing the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 has been published. The long implementation times for the Regulations mean that the industry has a lengthy period over which to write off the required capital investment.

Egg Industry

Richard Page: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether UK producers in this country will be permitted to continue using conventional egg laying cases until the EU deadline of 1 January 2012 as provided for by Council Directive 1999/74/EC.

Elliot Morley: The date for the ban on conventional egg laying cages across the EU is 2012 and this is the date we have stipulated in the English implementing regulations. We have no plans to bring that date forward unilaterally but the matter may be reviewed in 2005 at EU level.

Chewing Gum

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) representations she has received from and (b) discussions he has had with (i) local authorities and (ii) manufacturers with regard to cleaning up chewing gum; how many local authorities have charged people with chewing gum litter under the Environmental Protection Act 1990; what action she plans to take to ensure that local authorities take action against chewing gum offenders; what action she plans to take regarding cleaning up chewing gum litter; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: DEFRA has not received direct representation from, or had discussions with, local authorities about the clear up of chewing gum. However, the environmental charity, Environmental Campaigns (ENCAMS), who DEFRA grant funds, has been working with the Wrigley's Company and local authorities over many years to develop best practice to clear up gum. ENCAMS has produced advice and guidance on prevention and cleansing for local authorities under the banner, "Become an Authority on Gum".
	Information on how many local authorities have charged people with chewing gum litter under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 is not collected centrally by my Department. However, in 2000–01, 2,310 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) were issued for litter offences. The Department increased the FPN for littering offences from £25 to £50 on 1 April, and we are currently looking to see how local authorities will be able to retain these moneys and redirect the funds to measures that improve local environmental quality; which could include cleaning up chewing gum.

Waste

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what types of waste, previously not hazardous waste, will be reclassified as hazardous waste.

Michael Meacher: The European Hazardous Waste List (94/904/EC) has recently been extensively revised, and over 200 additions have been made. It will be transposed into UK law as part of the current review of the UK special waste regulations. The most significant additions include end-of-life vehicles containing hazardous liquids or components, electrical equipment containing CFC/ HCFC/HFC (fridges/freezers), and the following items if they contain hazardous substances: electrical equipment, contaminated soils, insulation materials and bottom ash.

Environmental Adviser

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who has been appointed as Environmental Adviser to the Minister for the Environment.

Michael Meacher: Stephen Hale was appointed as Environmental Policy Adviser to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 17 June.

CAP

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many payments of financial support under the CAP in England and Wales were (a) between £200,000 and £499,999, (b) between £500,000 and £999,999 and (c) in excess of £1 million, in the last year for which figures are available.

Elliot Morley: The following table gives numbers of individual payments of financial support under the CAP to addresses in England and Wales in each category. Some businesses may have received more than one payment, or may have had trading interests outside the region of the address to which the payments were made.
	
		
			  £200,000 to £499,999 £500,000 to £999,999 Over £1 million 
		
		
			 Grants and subsidies
			 England 158 11 3 
			 Wales(6) 0 0 0 
			 
			 Market support
			 England 523 125 33 
			 Wales 82 42 33 
		
	
	(6) Relates to the EAGGF budget year ending in 2000, the last year for which those figures were readily available.
	Note:
	Other figures relate to the 12 months ending June 2002.

Sheep Dips

Paul Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2002, Official Report, column 933W, when the research study by CBD Porton Down into the dose effect profiles for organophosphate sheep dips on brain electrical activity and sensitive behaviour indices in non-human primates will be completed.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 15 July 2002
	The laboratory work on this research study has been completed and a statistical analysis of the results is currently being carried out. We anticipate receiving a final report of its findings before the end of September this year.

Hill Farmers

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she had made of the ability of hill farmers to diversify into other areas of business.

Alun Michael: The Government recognise that all farms have their own set of individual circumstances which influence the scope for diversification and that the same approach will not be appropriate in all circumstances. The opportunity to pursue a successful diversification enterprise will depend upon a range of factors, including the resources and assets of the farm, the skills and expertise of the farmer and their family, and the farm's geographic circumstances.
	In England, DEFRA provides grants for farmers seeking to pursue good diversification projects under the Rural Enterprise Scheme, which forms part of the England Rural Development Programme. The Department also offers assistance in the form of free planning consultancy advice to farmers who intend to pursue an eligible diversification project through the Rural Enterprise Scheme and we are considering how to improve the provision of help and information to farmers considering diversifying their business.

Dairy Industry

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dairy (a) farms and (b) businesses have been (i) opened and (ii) closed in the last five years, broken down by region.

Elliot Morley: The Department does not hold the precise information sought. However, according to figures from the June Census, the number of dairy farms by region in England over the last five years was as follows:
	
		1. Number of holdings classified as farm type dairy
		
			 Government office region 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 North East region 325 285 275 251 215 
			 North West region including Merseyside 4,241 4,058 3,904 3,630 2,983 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside region 1,654 1,532 1,484 1,358 1,306 
			 East Midlands region 1,336 1,273 1,226 1,122 1,156 
			 West Midlands region 2,694 2,531 2,446 2,305 2,213 
			 East of England region 250 239 231 203 215 
			 South East region including Greater London 972 888 864 779 805 
			 South West region 6,535 6,207 5,883 5,478 5,213 
			   
			 England 18,007 17,013 16,313 15,126 14,106 
		
	
	
		2. Number of holdings with any dairy cows
		
			 Government office regions 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 North East region 510 467 428 398 343 
			 North West region including Merseyside 4,993 4,862 4,671 4,315 3,440 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside region 2,340 2,248 2,129 1,983 1,814 
			 East Midlands region 1,836 1,785 1,729 1,599 1,567 
			 West Midlands region 3,354 3,261 3,124 2,936 2,768 
			 East of England region 641 637 584 517 527 
			 South East region including Greater London 1,518 1,500 1,431 1,350 1,321 
			 South West region 7,740 7,556 7,230 6,819 6,345 
			   
			 England 22,932 22,316 21,326 19,917 18,125 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Holdings shown as of June each year, not 'opened' or 'closed'.
	2. Table 1 shows holdings where dairy farming is the predominant activity.
	3. Table 2 shows holdings which returned at least one dairy cow in the June Census.
	4. A dairy cow is classed as any dairy cow or heifer that has calved.
	5. All figures relate to main holdings only.
	Source:
	June Agricultural and Horticultural Census

British Farmers

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps she has taken to help British farmers remain competitive in international markets; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The Government want the farming industry to succeed and become more competitive. That is one reason why we established the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food and why, following its report, we will launch a new strategy for sustainable food and farming in England in the autumn.
	We have already demonstrated our commitment to helping food and farming business increase their competitiveness. For example, we plan to introduce a new Agriculture Development Scheme offering grants to help farmers improve their competitiveness through better marketing. The proposed priorities are developing and improving assurance schemes, encouraging co-operation/ collaboration, benefiting primary producers and benchmarking and spread of best practice.
	Success is also dependent on changes at the international level. The Government are working to bring farmers closer to their markets by securing a more economically rational Common Agricultural Policy and further liberalisation of agricultural trade in the World Trade Organisation negotiations.

Funding

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will announce funding allocated for Guisborough Market Town initiative.

Alun Michael: holding answer 8 July 2002
	Funding of an Action Plan for a market town follows the completion of a process of partnership working at the local level which starts with an initial "health check" to identify strengths and weaknesses. I am pleased to report that the Guisborough partnership is currently finalising its action plan following successful completion of the initial health check. I understand that One North East (the Regional Development Agency) has set aside £200,000 for approved projects within the action plan both in this and the next financial year.

Landfill

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions since 1997 waste disposal authorities have been consulted by local planning authorities regarding developments within 250 metres of landfill sites; if she will list the location and nature of the development on each occasion; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Business Rates

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on what constitutes agricultural usage when considering the setting of business rates; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Raynsford: I have been asked to reply.
	Most agricultural usage is exempt from non-domestic rates under paragraph 1 of schedule 5 to the Local Government Finance Act 1988. The types of agricultural land and buildings covered by this exemption are set out in paragraphs two to eight of that schedule.
	In the White Paper "Strong Local Leadership—Quality Public Services" we confirmed our intention to amend the agricultural exemption. First, we intend to ensure that the exemption applies to a range of flexible farming arrangements such as share farming, contract farming and machinery rings, which do not currently qualify for the exemption.
	Second, we intend to ensure that the exemption is properly targeted on agricultural activities. Case law has determined that a body corporate can qualify for the agricultural exemption in respect of ancillary activities such as food processing and packaging operations, provided that the corporate body includes a member who occupies agricultural land. The Government are proposing to amend the legislation so that ancillary premises occupied in connection with agricultural land and buildings can become exempt only where the occupiers of the agricultural land have a controlling share in the body corporate that occupies the ancillary premises. A consultation paper on these proposals was published on 31 May 2002.
	Provisions for both of these proposed amendments to the agricultural exemption are included in the draft Local Government Bill that was published for consultation purposes on 12 June.

Chernobyl

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the cost to farming in the United Kingdom of radioactive contamination from Chernobyl.

Hazel Blears: I have been asked to reply.
	No estimate of the total costs to farming in the United Kingdom arising from radioactive contamination from Chernobyl is available. However, the "Mark and Release" sheep compensation scheme which controls the sale of sheep from the areas affected by radioactive contamination is intended to compensate farmers for losses arising from these controls.

WALES

Care Homes

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the National Assembly regarding the use by English patients of care homes in Wales.

Paul Murphy: I discuss the NHS and other health issues on a regular basis with the First Minister and the Health and Social Services Minister.

Inward Investment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales about inward investment by European companies in Wales.

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales about inward investment by European companies in Wales.

Paul Murphy: I meet the First Minister regularly to discuss a range of issues, including inward investment in Wales. I am pleased to note that recent figures published by Invest UK show that the UK remains Europe's number one investment location.
	Investment by EU companies is vitally important to Welsh industry—in particular in the manufacturing sector. European companies represent more than a quarter of overseas-owned employment in Wales and around 10 per cent. of total manufacturing employment.

Water Provision (Mid-Wales)

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with Ofwat regarding future water provision in mid-Wales.

Don Touhig: None. This is primarily a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.

Valleys Communities

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate his Department has made of the special economic needs of isolated South Wales valleys communities.

Don Touhig: The Wales Office has not made such estimations.
	The Government understand the difficulties that the South Wales Valleys communities have faced in recent years, including the Corus redundancies.
	The Government welcome the announcements from the Assembly which have been aimed at assisting these specific communities and is confident that such moves will improve the prosperity in Wales, particularly in relation to the manufacturing industry.

Foot and Mouth

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the foot and mouth outbreak in Wales.

Paul Murphy: I am naturally pleased that Wales has not had a confirmed case of foot and mouth since 12 August last year.

Foot and Mouth

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the National Assembly regarding the need for a public inquiry into the foot and mouth outbreak.

Paul Murphy: I regularly meet the First Secretary and discuss a range of farming issues.
	The Government has always maintained that we will hold no public inquiry, as we want reviews carried out fully and effectively, and to uncover answers expeditiously at low cost. The review following the 1967 outbreak took 18 months. The three inquiries commissioned by the Government will consider the same issues in a much shorter time.

Steel Industry

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales and Cabinet colleagues about the steel industry in Wales.

Paul Murphy: I meet regularly with the First Minister and Cabinet colleagues to discuss a range of issues including the steel industry in Wales.
	I regret the news that the board of ASW Holdings plc has been unable to secure the agreement of its banks to provide continued support and has invited them to appoint administrative receivers over the business and assets of the company.
	This is a potential blow to workers, their families and the company, but we hope that the receiver can find a way to enable the company to continue trading without a loss of jobs.
	I know that the Wales Office, the National Assembly, the Welsh Development Agency and all the other organisations will work together to either find a new owner for the company or to help workers find alternative jobs.

Manufacturing Industry

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales and other Cabinet colleagues about the manufacturing industry in Wales.

Paul Murphy: I meet regularly with the First Minister and Cabinet colleagues to discuss a range of issues including manufacturing in Wales.
	The Government recognise it is a particularly tough time for manufacturers in the UK, due to the slow down in the world economy and weakness of the euro. However, these problems are not confined to the UK or Wales in particular.
	The manufacturing industry is now seeing the first signs that recession in this sector may be coming to an end. The latest CBI and EEF surveys point to stabilisation in manufacturing output over the next three to four months, with the latest CIPS survey even more positive, indicating output may have risen early this year.

Objective 1 Funding

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last visited the European Union institutions in Brussels to discuss Objective One funding; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: I visited the European Union institutions in Strasbourg at the beginning of July. During that visit I had meetings with Welsh MEPs and with Sir Nigel Sheinwald, the UK's Permanent Representative to the European Union, to discuss a number of European issues, including Objective One. This built on my meeting with Commissioner Barnier in Brussels in November 2001 and on discussions with the President of the Commission and Commissioner Kinnock, during their visit to the new European Commission office in Cardiff at the end of May.
	The Government have renewed their commitment to ensuring that Wales receives the full benefit of Objective One funding, by providing full public expenditure cover for the Objective One programme in Monday's Spending Review. Once again, this is outside Barnett and additional to increases to the Welsh block.

Small Businesses

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary concerning the role of small businesses in economic development in Wales.

Paul Murphy: I meet the First Minister regularly to discuss a wide range of issues, including small businesses in Wales.
	Small and medium sized enterprises account for over 99 per cent. of all businesses in Wales and are therefore crucial to the economic success of Wales. A number of measures in the Chancellor's budget will make a significant contribution to supporting small businesses in Wales. 6,000 Welsh SMEs will benefit from the corporation tax starting rate cut from 10 per cent. to zero and a further 13,000 will be helped by the 1 per cent. reduction in the small companies' rate. In addition, thousands of Welsh SMEs will benefit from measures to simplify their VAT.

Environmental Protection

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the National Assembly on environmental protection for areas of outstanding natural beauty.

Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with the First Minister on a range of matters affecting Wales.
	The Assembly is keen to see appropriate protection afforded to the five areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs) in Wales. As well as the resources provided through the local authority revenue settlement for AONBs, the Countryside Council for Wales provides additional core funding support.
	The Assembly also provides £750,000 each year, for the administration of the Environment Development Fund, which is designed to support innovative, sustainable development projects to support communities within the AONBs.

Court Service

Jackie Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Lord Chancellor's Department concerning proposed changes to the Court Service in Wales.

Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with colleagues about matters affecting Wales.
	The Court Service report "Modernising the Civil and Family Courts", which was published on 23 May, forms part of a wider Courts and Tribunals Modernisation Programme. This is a major programme of investment, which will enable the Court Service to change radically the way that courts across all jurisdictions work. I understand that the National Assembly for Wales was consulted about the implications of this programme.

Teachers' Work Load

Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will implement for teachers in Wales the key objective of the Review Body on School Teachers' Pay and Conditions of Service of reducing the work load of teachers.

Don Touhig: Teachers' conditions of service are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills.
	Consultation on the recommendations in the report of the School Teachers Review Body on teachers' work load came to an end on 3 July. The Department for Education and Skills' consultation letter of 8 May said that my right hon. Friend would consult again on practical measures, as appropriate in the light of the initial consultation.
	For the time being, the Department for Education and Skills is evaluating the initial consultation responses. Further consultation is likely to take place in the early autumn.

Fire Safety

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has held with Secretaries in the National Assembly about improving fire safety in Wales.

Paul Murphy: I hold regular meetings with the First Minister on a range of matters.

Devolved Powers

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent assessment he has made of public attitudes to the operation of devolved powers in Wales.

Paul Murphy: I believe that people increasingly understand the split of responsibilities between Cardiff and London and that they welcome the new arrangements.

Crime Reduction

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the measures taken by the Government to tackle crime in Wales.

Paul Murphy: Tackling crime is a priority for the Government.
	Through the Safer Communities Initiative, all 22 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships in Wales will benefit from extra cash during the current financial year, with an extra £1.1 million in total. In addition, the Crime Fighting Fund will be providing Welsh forces with up to 136 new police recruits over and above their previous recruitment plans.
	Since 1997, police numbers in Wales have been rising steadily and the passage of the Police Reform Bill will ensure that police officers can spend more of their time on front line crime fighting duties.

EU Funding

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to his answer of 8 May 2002, Official Report, column 169W, what the (a) 2001–02 EU structural funding and agricultural support payments in Wales and (b) the share of United Kingdom's net EU contributions represented by the Welsh share of UK GDP, were.

Paul Murphy: Structural fund payments in Wales amounted to £146 million and agricultural support payments amounted to £155 million in 2001–02. Wales accounts for around 4 per cent. of UK GDP.

Violent Crime

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary regarding violent crime in Wales.

Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with colleagues about matters that impact on Wales, including measures aimed at reducing violent crime.
	The Government remain committed to improving the reporting and detection of violent crime, and to tackling its underlying causes.

Waiting Lists

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the National Assembly over funding to reduce waiting lists in Wales.

Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend and I discuss health issues on as regular basis with the First Minister and the Health and Social Services Minister.
	This year health authorities have again received £35 million as part of the health authority allocation to help reduce waiting times and tackle emergency pressures.

Unemployment

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary about levels of unemployment in North Wales.

Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with the First Secretary about a number of issues, including unemployment in North Wales. Today's labour market statistics, show that we are making excellent progress towards our long term aim of getting more people into employment than ever before.
	Today's labour market statistics show that claimant counts are down compared to a year before in every North Wales constituency. Claimant counts have come down an average of 44.4 per cent. since the 1997 election across the 10 North Wales constituencies (Alyn and Deeside, Caernarfon, Clwyd, South, Clwyd, West, Conwy, Delyn, Meirionydd Nant Conwy, Vale of Clwyd, Wrexham and Ynys Mon).

Jobcentre Plus

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions about Jobcentre Plus offices in Wales.

Paul Murphy: I have regular meetings with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues. I welcome the fact that Jobcentre Plus—which was launched at the pathfinder office in Bridgend—is being rolled out to other offices in the Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taff and South East Wales districts. District managers across Wales are now in the process of developing service delivery plans as the first step in the full rollout of Jobcentre Plus to all 144 former Employment Service and Benefit Agency offices in Wales.

Mental Health Services

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Assembly Secretary for Health regarding the legislative framework for mental health services in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: The draft Mental Health Bill is currently out to public consultation, as part of the pre-legislative scrutiny process.
	It has been the subject of a long process of consultation by the Government, starting with the Green Paper Reform of the Mental Health Act 1983 published in November 1999. The Assembly are statutory consultees, and will respond formally in due course.

New Deal

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues about the operation of the New Deal in Wales.

Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend meets Cabinet colleagues regularly to discuss a range of issues, including the operation of the New Deal in Wales. I am also pleased to have had the opportunity to discuss the operation of the New Deal with the Wales New Deal Task Force, at the meeting in Brecon on 16 May.
	New Deal has been a huge success in Wales, particularly in helping young people back into work. 24,800 young Welsh people have secured jobs through New Deal since its launch and 80 per cent. of those have retained their jobs for 13 weeks or more. Today's labour market statistics show that there has been a 67 per cent. fall in youth JSA claimants since the launch of the New Deal programmes in Wales.

0870 Telephone Numbers

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his policy is on using 0870 telephone numbers for inquiries by the public to the Department and its agencies.

Paul Murphy: I do not currently envisage any need for my Department to use 0870 numbers.

Planning

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if she will make a statement regarding the planning powers of the National Assembly for Wales.

Paul Murphy: The National Assembly for Wales (Transfer of Functions) Order 1999, as amended, sets out the land use planning powers of the National Assembly which were formerly vested in the Secretary of State for Wales. They include: the determination of policies; the issue of guidance to local authorities; the determination of planning appeals; and the 'calling-in', where necessary, of planning cases for decision by the Assembly.

Performance Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the (a) cost and (b) saving has been from the Department's pursuit of service delivery agreement targets in each year since they were introduced.

Paul Murphy: The Department's service delivery agreement was published in November 2000. It sets out the Department's agreed strategy for delivering its objectives and the necessary internal procedures to achieve the best value for money. It is not possible to measure in a quantifiable and meaningful way (a) costs or (b) savings to the Department from pursuing service delivery agreement targets.

EU Directives

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  if he will list the EU directives relating to his Department which have been (a) amended and (b) repealed in 2002;
	(2)  if he will list the EU directives and regulations that have been implemented through his Department in 2002; and what was the cost of each to public funds.

Paul Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 11 April 2002 (volume 383, column 522). My Department has not had responsibility for the implementation, amendment or repeal of any European Union directives since its creation in July 1999.

PRIME MINISTER

Government Scrutiny

Graham Allen: To ask the Prime Minister what proposals he has to strengthen the scrutiny of Government by the legislature arising from his meeting on 16 July with the Liaison Committee; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I was pleased to answer questions from the Liaison Committee yesterday on a range of matters.

Channel Tunnel

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer of 10 July 2002, what action the Government will take against the French Government if a full and reliable service of 100 freight trains each way each week through the channel tunnel is not restored by September.

Tony Blair: Both Governments are determined to see freight traffic returning to normal out of Calais Frethun rail depot by September. To help achieve that, the SRA will contribute around half of the euro 7.5 million cost of fixed security installations at the site. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary will visit Frethun in September with his French colleague to confirm the effectiveness of security measures taken to ensure normal services.

Seaside Resorts

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer to the hon. Member for Blackpool, South (Mr. Marsden) of 10 July, on visitor costs to seaside resorts, to what consultation he referred; and which options cover the question raised.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr. Raynsford) gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Gillingham (Mr. Clark) on 8 July 2002, Official Report, columns 680–81W. The specific options can be found on pages 65 and 66 of the consultation document.

Sustainable Energy

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Prime Minister what action he has taken to establish a cross-Government sustainable energy unit.

Tony Blair: The Government launched a consultation on energy policy on 14 May, following the publication of the Energy Review by the Cabinet Office's Performance and Innovation Unit earlier this year. The Government plan to publish an Energy White Paper around the turn of the year. The consultation is being carried forward by a team drawn from DTI, DEFRA, and other Government Departments
	The work on the White Paper will include further consideration of the PIU's recommendations for a Sustainable Energy Policy Unit and decisions on this will be made in the context of broader decisions on the White Paper as a whole.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Departmental Waste

Sue Doughty: To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee, what the total volume of waste produced by the House was in each year since 1995, broken down into (a) paper, (b) plastic, (c) aluminium and (d) other; what proportion of waste from the House was (i) recycled, (ii) composted and (iii) re-used; and what plans she has to increase these proportions.

Marion Roe: The annual quantities of domestic waste removed from the parliamentary estate were as follows:
	
		
			   Total waste(7) (tonnes) Recycled Recovered (percentage) 
		
		
			 1995–96 — 684 tonnes — 
			 1996–97 — 777 tonnes — 
			 1997–98 — 818 tonnes — 
			 1998–99 — 874 tonnes — 
			 1999–2000 1,333 30% 100 
			 2000–01 1,493 30% 100 
			 2001–02 1,274 32% 100 
		
	
	(7) The total amount of waste was not recorded until financial year 1999–2000.
	Under the contract which has operated since 1999–2000, paper, glass and cooking oil are separated for recycling. Other waste is incinerated to generate electricity; metals are extracted from the ash, which itself is used for road construction.
	The House Administration has set the following targets for the financial year 2002–03:
	
		
			  Percentage of total waste 
		
		
			 All recycling 37 
			 Paper and cardboard recycling 26 
			 All recovery 100 
		
	
	For April 2002, the most recent month for which full information is available, the figures were:
	
		
			  Tonnes Percentage of total waste 
		
		
			 Paper and cardboard recycling 19.9 22 
			 Glass recycling 10.4 11 
			 Oil recycling 0.6 0.7 
			 All recycling 30.9 34 
			 All recovery 91.4 100

Departmental Waste

Graham Allen: To ask the Chairman of the Committee of Selection, if he will take steps to provide for those hon. Members who request it notification by e-mail of their nomination to serve on standing committees.

John McWilliam: The Committee of Selection recently agreed to establish on a trial basis arrangements for notifying hon. Members by e-mail of the meetings of forthcoming Standing and Select Committees to which they have been appointed. The trial encompasses the First Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation, European Standing Committee A and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee and its Sub-Committees. The purposes of the trial are to test the effectiveness, and acceptability to hon. Members, of using e-mail to notify them of Committee meetings and to assess the technical and resource implications of wider e-mail use. Recipients of e-mail notification messages have continued to receive notification cards, as before. I will invite the Committee of Selection to discuss the outcome of the trial and decide how to proceed early in the new session.
	In addition, hon. Members can already receive e-mail notification of meetings of Standing Committees to which they have been appointed, on request to the Clerk of the Committee of Selection.

Website

Michael Fabricant: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, when the redesigned parliamentary website will be available.

Archy Kirkwood: Subject to final security tests, the redesigned parliamentary website will replace the existing site on 23 July. The Content Management System associated with the redesign will allow staff to make further improvements in the future, so the site available on 23 July should be viewed as the start of a continuing process of development and improvement. Feedback on the site, using the newly provided feedback option, will be welcome.

TRANSPORT

Rail Safety

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2002, Official Report, column 781–82W, on rail safety, if he will list for each incident the (a) county, (b) Railtrack operating zone and (c) line where it took place; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The information requested, for the period 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2002, has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	The Health and Safety Executive's Railway Inspectorate's (HMRI's) accident database (SIGNAL), which came into operation in early 2000, records the county of the location of the incident and line route details. Prior to 2000 HMRI did not collect comprehensive details of the county line route. This could be provided at only disproportionate cost.

Health and Safety Commission

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he has (a) met and (b) corresponded with the Chair of the Health and Safety Commission in the last month; and what the subject was of each communication.

David Jamieson: The Secretary of State met the Chair of the Health and Safety Commission and corresponded with him in relation to a number of departmental responsibilities for the Commission and the Health and Safety Executive.

Local Transport Plan

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place copies of his Department's appraisal summary tables relating to the local transport plan annual progress reports in the Library.

David Jamieson: My Department does not produce appraisal summary tables (ASTs) in relation to local transport plan annual progress reports.
	ASTs are used as a tool under our appraisal criteria to set out the key consequences of a strategy, plan or intervention for tackling a particular issue using the Government's five key transport objectives, namely environment, safety, accessibility, economy and integration. Local transport plan annual progress reports are monitoring documents. For this reason we do not make ASTs a requirement for such reports.
	Local authorities putting forward proposals for new major local transport schemes are required to produce ASTs for such schemes in line with our guidance on major scheme appraisal in local transport plans. Copies of ASTs accompanying new major scheme proposals due to be submitted by 31 July 2002 will be placed in the Library when received.

Network Rail

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport under the Network Rail structure, which body would be held responsible with regard to corporate manslaughter charges.

David Jamieson: holding answer 2 July 2002
	If Network Rail successfully completes its purchase of the shares of Railtrack plc, any potential criminal or civil liability arising from past accidents would reside in the acquired Railtrack plc within the Network Rail group.

Transport Telephone Line

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made towards setting up one national telephone number on which the public can receive transport information for all forms of transport; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: "traveline", the national public transport information system, is now available throughout Great Britain. It provides route and timetable information for bus, coach, tram, underground, train, ferry and metro through a national-rate call to a single telephone number—0870 608 2 608. "traveline" is also available on the internet in some areas, and full coverage should be available by the end of the year.
	The Department is developing Transport Direct, a comprehensive travel information and ticketing service which aims to provide the traveller with all the information they need before and during a journey anywhere in the UK, and with the ability to buy the associated tickets. The vision, which will take several years to be fully realised, covers travel by all modes—air, car, train, tram, tube, taxi, bus, coach, ferry, bike and on foot—plus, importantly, mixtures of these modes.
	The centrepiece of Transport Direct will be a one-stop internet portal information point for all forms of travel information. In addition to schedules and details of any disruption on the chosen route, travellers will be able to look at maps of the area they are intending to visit. The initial portal service will go on-line during 2003.

M25

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the M25 between junctions 7 and 8 to be resurfaced.

David Jamieson: The M25 between Junctions 7 and 8 was resurfaced as part of the M25 Junctions 6 to 8 widening works that were completed in 1997. We therefore have no immediate plans to resurface this section of the M25.

Roads

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on road maintenance in the UK in each year since 1997.

David Jamieson: holding answer 16 July 2002
	The figures (£ million) for maintenance expenditure in "England", since 1997 are given in the table. Road maintenance figures for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the devolved administrations.
	
		£ million 
		
			   Motorways and trunk  Local roads London local roads  Transfer to TfL for  
			  Capital Revenue Revenue Capital capital former trunk roads 
		
		
			 1996–97 408 142 1,712 194 — — 
			 1997–98 410 172 1,658 200 — — 
			 1998–99 425 216 1,721 247 — — 
			 1999–2000 449 252 1,763 309 — — 
			 2000–01 462 274 1,783 476 — — 
			 2001–02 (8)421 (8)244 (8)1,905 (8)545 (8)32 (8)73 
		
	
	(8) Provisional out-turn figures

Special Purpose Vehicles

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his reply of 9 July 2002, Official Report, column 807W, on special purpose vehicles, if he will list the possible opportunities identified to which he refers; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: In addition to Chiltern and South Central, Special Purpose Vehicles may be appropriate for works on South West Trains, for the East London Line, for the East Coast Main Line and for other cases not yet identified.

Variable Speed Limits

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the locations on Highways Agency roads where there are variable speed limits.

David Jamieson: There are variable speed limits on the M25 between junctions 10 and 16, the A646 at Cliviger and Todmorden, the A5092 at Lowick, the A1 Gateshead and Newcastle Western Bypass between Birtley and Seaton Burn, the A47 at Thorney, and the A59 at Pemworthan.

Channel Tunnel

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many freight services used the channel tunnel in each month since January.

David Jamieson: According to the operator, English, Welsh and Scottish Railways, the total number of freight services (inbound and outbound) using the channel tunnel since January is as follows:
	
		
			 2002 Number of freight services 
		
		
			 January 329 
			 February 357 
			 March (9)244 
			 April 352 
			 May 274 
			 June 278 
			 July (10)154 
		
	
	(9) Reduced owing to two weekend closures for CTRL work
	(10) To 14 July

Road Maintenance

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his reply of 3 July 2002, Official Report, column 359W, on road maintenance, if he will (a) list the ways in which his Department is working with local authorities and (b) provide a definition of an efficient management system.

David Jamieson: The Roads Liaison Group (RLG) was set up in 2001, by the then DTLR. Its membership includes DfT, the Local Government Association, and representatives of national and local highway authorities in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It is charged with advising on technical, financial, and administrative policy on the construction and maintenance of highways in the United Kingdom, and with progressing initiatives to further those objectives. These initiatives include the introduction of a computerised system of highway management (UKPMS), a revised version of the street lighting code of practice, and the development of a computerised bridge database and management system.
	An efficient management system in the highway maintenance field is one that delivers infrastructure fit for the needs of users while providing good value for the resources used.

New Road Schemes

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the local authority road schemes which have been provisionally accepted by his Department for funding.

David Jamieson: The following local authority road schemes (listed by region) have been fully or provisionally approved by my Department under the local transport plan process:
	North East
	Approved:
	A689 Sedgefield to Wynyard Improvement (Durham)
	South Stockton Link (Stockton-on-Tees)
	Provisionally Approved:
	Eastern Transport Corridor (Darlington)
	A688 Wheatley Hill to Bowburn Link (Durham)
	A167 Chilton Bypass (Durham)
	Pegswood Bypass (Northumberland)
	Scotswood Road Improvement (Newcastle)
	Southern Radial Route (Sunderland)
	North West
	Approved:
	Manchester/Salford Inner Relief Road (Greater Manchester/ Salford)
	Provisionally Approved:
	Alderley Edge Bypass (Cheshire)
	Carlisle Northern Development Route (Cumbria)
	Glossup Spur (Tameside)
	Hall Lane (Liverpool)
	Bridgefoot Bypass (Warrington)
	Yorkshire/Humber
	Approved:
	Leeds Inner Relief Road Stage 7 (Leeds)
	East Leeds Link Road (Leeds)
	Coalfields Link Road Phases 2 & 3 (Barnsley)
	Provisionally Approved:
	A6023 Denaby Main Diversion (Doncaster)
	Scarborough Integrated Transport Scheme (North Yorkshire)
	Cudworth Bypass (Barnsley)
	A57 M1 to Todwick Crossroads (Rotherham)
	West Bawtry Road Improvement (Rotherham)
	Sheffield Inner Relief Road Phase 2 (Sheffield)
	Hemsworth—A1 Link (Wakefield)
	Glasshoughton Link Road (Wakefield)
	East Midlands
	Approved (and open to traffic):
	Ashby Bypass (Leicestershire)
	A6002/A6007 Coventry Lane Improvement (Nottinghamshire)
	Provisionally Approved:
	A6096 Ilkeston-Awsworth Link (Derbyshire)
	Markham Employment Growth Zone (Derbyshire)
	A47 Earl Shilton Bypass (Leicestershire)
	A607 Rearsby Bypass (Leicestershire)
	A158/C541 Coastal Access Improvements (Lincolnshire)
	A1073 Improvement (Lincolnshire/Peterborough)
	A617 Mansfield Ashfield Regeneration Route (Nottinghamshire)
	A612 Gedling Integrated Transport Scheme (Nottinghamshire)
	Oakham Bypass (Rutland)
	West Midlands
	Approved:
	A53 Hodnet Bypass (Shropshire)
	Biddulph Bypass (Staffordshire)
	Burntwood Bypass (Staffordshire)
	Wyre Piddle Bypass (Worcestershire)
	Provisionally Approved:
	A38 Selly Oak Link Road (Birmingham)
	Rugeley Bypass (Staffordshire)
	Hanley-Bentilee Link (Stoke)
	Barford Bypass (Warwickshire)
	Rugby Western Bypass (Warwickshire)
	A38 Northfield Regeneration Scheme (Birmingham)
	Owen St. Level Crossing Relief Road (Sandwell)
	Cradley Heath Town Centre (Sandwell)
	Eastern
	Approved:
	Great Leighs Bypass (Essex)
	Broome and Ellingham Bypass (Norfolk)
	Provisionally Approved:
	Ridgmont Bypass and Woburn Link (Bedfordshire)
	Bedford Western Bypass (Bedfordshire)
	A1198 Papworth Everard Bypass (Cambridgeshire)
	A142 Fordham Bypass (Cambridgeshire)
	Baldock Bypass (Hertfordshire)
	East Luton Corridor (Luton)
	Nar-Ouse Regeneration Project (Norfolk)
	Stowmarket Relief Road (Suffolk)
	South Lowestoft Relief Road (Suffolk)
	West Thurrock Riverside Regeneration Scheme (Thurrock)
	South East
	Provisionally Approved:
	Stoke Hammond and Linslade Western Bypass
	(Buckinghamshire)
	East Kent Access Phase 1 (Kent)
	A228 Main Road to Ropers Lane (Phase 1) (Medway)
	Bletchley Link (Milton Keynes)
	M4 J11 Improvement (Reading)
	Kiln Lane Link (Surrey)
	South West
	Approved:
	Bridgewater Northern Distributor (Somerset)
	Provisionally Approved:
	A39 Camelford Bypass (Cornwall)
	Barnstaple Western Bypass (Devon)
	Poole Harbour Bridge (Poole)
	N.W. Taunton Package (Somerset)
	Weymouth Relief Road (Dorset)
	A350 Semington-Melksham Diversion (Wiltshire)
	Brunel Link & Harnham Relief Road (Wiltshire).

Traffic Forecasts

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his reply of 10 July 2002, Official Report, column 975W, on traffic forecasts, from whom his Department has commissioned work; what the scope of this work is; what the cost of work commissioned is; and what the timetable for this work is.

David Jamieson: Work on different aspects of a multi-modal modelling and forecasting capability has been commissioned from:
	Faber Maunsell
	Institute for Transport Studies, Leeds University
	Marcial Echenique and Partners
	MDS Transmodal
	TRL (formerly the Transport Research Laboratory)
	WS Atkins.
	This work has included:
	a review of requirements and approach,
	development of rail and highway network models,
	development of a central model of travellers' mode choice decisions,
	development of a national model of freight movements, and
	updating of previous work on the impact of different transport policies, to be consistent with the new framework.
	The resulting modelling system incorporates elements of the forecasting framework previously used to inform development of the 10-year plan. Work has included developing interfaces between various model components, and general integration and testing.
	The total value of the contracts awarded is of the order of £1.38 million.
	An initial version of the new framework is operational and being tested. Certain further improvements are being incorporated, and a programme of longer-term development has been identified.

Dangerous Substances

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the EU Advisory Committee on the Control and Reduction of Pollution Caused by the Discharge of Hydrocarbons and other Dangerous Substances at Sea is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The Advisory Committee on the Control and Reduction of Pollution Caused by the Discharge of Hydrocarbons and other Dangerous Substances at Sea (known as ACPH) no longer exists and has been replaced by the Management Committee on Marine Pollution, which was established under Decision No. 2850/2000/EC of 20–12–2000 of the European Parliament and the Council. This set up a Community framework for co-operation in the field of accidental or deliberate marine pollution.
	The committee is scheduled to meet on 4 October 2002 in Brussels. Officials from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), part of my Department, represent the UK on the committee. However, my officials consult the Scottish Executive on agenda items in which it might have an interest in accordance with our concordat with the devolved Administrations.

Roadworks

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a full set of roadworks in 2002–03 area maps published by the Roadworks and Traffic Information Unit of the Highways Agency.

David Jamieson: The Highways Agency does not have a Roadworks and Traffic Information Unit.
	The Highways Agency provides, fortnightly, an electronic Current Roadworks Information Bulletin on its website. This is a listing of planned roadworks on England's strategic road network. This information is not provided in any other format. Road users are given advanced warning of major road works by a variety of methods.

Departmental Reorganisation

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library his Department's last accommodation requirements review.

David Jamieson: The Department for Transport is assessing its future accommodation requirements in the light of the machinery of Government changes in June 2002 and will be reviewing the position in the autumn. No documents are currently available.

Highways Agency

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent changes (a) have taken place and (b) are planned relating to (i) the organisation of the Highways Agency and (ii) the Highways Agency website; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The information is as follows:
	(a) (i) In 2001 the Highways Agency established the Operations, Network Strategy and Corporate Directorates as part of an internal reorganisation, primarily to help improve its focus on delivering operational services.
	(a) (ii) As part of that reorganisation the Highways Agency is currently migrating some staff and functions from London, increasing its regional presence so that most of the Agency's staff and functions are located close to its customers.
	(b) (i) The Highways Agency's website was redesigned in April 2002. The changes were made to enable the website to better meet its key customers' requirements and make the website generally more accessible.
	(b) (ii) The Highways Agency's website will continue to evolve to improve the supply of information about the Highways Agency's network and developments.

Utility Costs

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the change in cost of utilities has been arising from the pilot study of the working of section 74A of the New Roads and Streetworks Act 1991;
	(2)  what his estimate is of the likely annual change in cost of utilities to the average household following the national implementation of section 74A of the New Roads and Streetworks Act 1991;
	(3)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the assessment of the pilot study of the working of section 74A of the New Roads and Streetworks Act 1991; and when this will be available.

David Jamieson: Pilot schemes to test powers under which local authorities can charge utility companies "lane rental", under section 74A of the New Roads and Streetworks Act 1991, began on 4 March 2002 in Camden and Middlesbrough. No decision has yet been taken on whether to make these powers available nationally. However, the Government have appointed Halcrow to measure the impact of lane rental, in terms of its effect on the level of disruption caused by utility works, the costs which it imposes on those utilities, and the possible impact on utility customers.
	Halcrow are due to deliver their first report to my Department, covering the first few months of the scheme, later this year. I will arrange for copies of their report to be placed in the Library of the House in due course.

Ladbroke Grove Inquiry

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many train operating companies have not implemented recommendation 69 of the Ladbroke Grove public inquiry report.

David Jamieson: Recommendation 69 was that
	"the provision on board of explanatory information about the emergency facilities of individual trains is endorsed".
	The industry has reported to the Health and Safety Executive that currently four train operating companies (TOCs) have not fully implemented this recommendation. However, all TOCs will comply with recommendation 69 by September 2002.

Ladbroke Grove Inquiry

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he takes to verify that Lord Cullen's recommendations in the Ladbroke Grove public inquiry report have been implemented.

David Jamieson: The Government have asked the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) to ensure that all recommendations are implemented. HSC published progress reports covering the six-month recommendations from Lord Cullen's 1 and 2 reports on 20 March and 23 May, respectively. In the autumn, HSC will publish a report that will cover progress on all 295 railway safety recommendations arising from the recent railway public inquiries.

Vehicle Excise Duty

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much revenue has been raised by vehicle excise duty in each of the last five years.

David Jamieson: The figures, in millions and net of rebates and refunds, are as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1996–98 4,252 
			 1997–98 4,487 
			 1998–99 4,855 
			 1999–2000 4,738 
			 2000–01 4,941

River Thames

Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the recommendations made by Lord Justice Clarke to increase safety on the River Thames.

David Jamieson: On 29 November last year I announced that I had, that day, placed in the Libraries of the House an updated summary of the action taken on each of Lord Justice Clarke's 74 recommendations. I have placed a further update in the Libraries of the House today.

Roads (At-work Accidents)

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what targets the Government have set for reducing death and injuries to Government employees at work while on the road.

Douglas Alexander: I have been asked to reply 
	as Minister for the Civil Service.
	No specific targets have been set for reducing deaths and injuries to civil servants at work while on the road. The Government and Health and Safety Commission have, however, set a broad based target to reduce the rate of all fatal and major injury accidents by 10 per cent. by 2010. This target covers all accidents reportable under the Reporting of Injuries, Deaths and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995. This includes the reporting of accidents to employees at work on the road, but not generally work-related traffic accidents.
	A high level forum has also been established to explore ways in which the civil service can act as an exemplar for reducing all accidents to its employees.

TREASURY

VAT

Alan Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much irrecoverable VAT was paid, in each of the last three years for which information is available, in respect of the activities of the university museums and galleries which have collections that have been designated by Resource as outstanding.

John Healey: holding answer 15 July 2002
	There is no requirement for such bodies to record VAT that cannot be recovered. As a consequence this information is unavailable.

Mis-selling

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints of mis-selling of (a) endowment policies and (b) other financial products by (i) tied agencies and (ii) independent financial advisers have been made to the Financial Services Authority in each of the last five years.

Ruth Kelly: The Financial Services Authority, as regulator, makes rules for IFAs and for tied agents. These include rules designed to prevent mis-selling and rules which require regulated firms to follow specified complaints procedures. Where firms are unable to resolve complaints themselves, FSA rules require them to allow complainants to pursue their complaints with the Financial Ombudsman Service and to comply promptly with an ombudsman's decision.
	The FOS has provided the following figures for complaints handled either by itself or by its predecessor bodies.
	
		Mortgage Endowment Complaints
		
			  IFAs Percentage Tied Agents Percentage Total 
		
		
			 2001–02 2,312 15.84 12,283 84.16 14,595 
			 2000–01 (11)— — (11)— — 9,067 
			 1999–2000 (11)— — (11)— — 3,135 
			 1998–99 (11)— — (11)— — 2,856 
			 1997–98 n/a — n/a — 2,751 
		
	
	(11) See table 3.
	
		Other investment related financial products (personal pension plans, whole of life/non mortgage-linked endowments and other 'packaged' investment products)
		
			  IFAs Percentage Tied agents Percentage Total 
		
		
			 2001–02 1,952 15.76 10.434 84.24 12,386 
			 2000–01 (12)— — (12)— — 8,019 
			 1999–2000 (12)— — (12)— — 6,112 
			 1998–99 (12)— — (12)— — 5,642 
			 1997–98 n/a — n/a  4,042 
		
	
	(12) See table 3.
	
		Table 3. Figures for the percentage split between IFAs and tied agents across the range of investment related complaints are as follows(13)
		
			  IFAs (percentage) Tied agents (percentage) 
		
		
			 2001–02 15.8 84.2 
			 2000–01 13.9 86.1 
			 1999–2000 14.9 85.1 
			 1998–99 15.5 84.5 
		
	
	(13) Breakdown figures are not available for the separate categories of investment complaints.

Pharmaceutical Companies

John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what tax incentives exist to encourage donations of medicines to developing countries by UK-based pharmaceutical companies.

John Healey: Clause 55 of the Finance Bill 2002 will remove a potential tax charge on corporate donations of medical supplies and equipment made for humanitarian purposes. It will also make the cost of delivering those gifts tax deductible and will apply to goods donated on or after 1 April 2002. Similar tax treatment is already available under section 83A of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 for gifts in kind made to United Kingdom charities by businesses.

Statistics Commission

Barbara Follett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Statistics Commission's annual report and accounts for 2001–02 will be published.

Ruth Kelly: The Statistics Commission's annual report and accounts, covering the 2001–02 financial year, are being published today having been laid before both Houses of Parliament. Copies are available in the Vote Office and Printed Paper Office.

Imported Goods (VAT)

Barbara Follett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the consultation on the VAT treatment of imported goods, announced in the Budget.

John Healey: Customs have today issued a consultation document entitled "Easing the Impact of VAT on Business: Consultation on the Delayed Accounting for VAT at Import Scheme (DAVIS)". Copies have been placed in the Library of the House. Responses to the consultation are invited by 31 October 2002.

Corporate Accounting

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what plans he has to reform corporate accounting measures;
	(2)  what (a) British and (b) EU legislation is in place regarding corporate accounting measures; and what plans the Government have to change that legislation.

Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
	The White Paper on Modernising Company Law, published on 16 July 2002, sets out the Government's proposals for modernising company accounting. Copies are available in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The Fourth Council Directive 78/660/EC, the Seventh Council Directive 83/349/EEC, Directive 86/635/EEC and directive 91/674/EEC set out the requirements in respect of the preparation of annual and consolidated accounts of companies, banks and insurance undertakings. On 3 June 2002, the European Commission issued a draft directive designed to modernise the first three of these directives; negotiations commenced this month.
	The European Regulation on International Accounting Standards was adopted on 7 June 2002. It requires companies admitted to trading on regulated markets in the EU to prepare their consolidated accounts on the basis of accounting standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, from January 2005. The regulation gives member states the option to extend its application to other companies; the Government intend to consult on this in due course.

Departmental Appointments

Eric Forth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the appointments made by his Department since 1 May 1997 of chairmen of (a) non-departmental public bodies, (b) commissions, (c) inquiries, (d) agencies and (e) taskforces; and if he will list their (i) term of office, (ii) salary and (iii) known political affiliation (A) past and (B) present.

Ruth Kelly: (a) The Chancellor is responsible for three public bodies.
	Royal Mint Advisory Committee on the design of coins, medals, seals and decorations
	Professor Sir Christopher Frayling was appointed as chairman in February 2001. Members of the committee are appointed on a seven yearly basis and are unpaid.
	Public Services Productivity Panel
	The Chief Secretary to the Treasury chairs the panel.
	Statistics Commission
	Sir John Kingman was appointed as chairman in May 2000 and receives an annual salary of £28,000 per annum.
	Further information about these bodies is available on the Treasury website.
	We have nothing to report under categories (b), (c) and (d). The Bank of England is a public corporation and does not fall into the categories (a) to (d) however the relevant details are:
	Court of the Bank of England
	The chairman of the Court of Directors is the Governor of the Bank of England, whose present salary as Governor is £250,567. Sir Edward George has held this post since 1 July 1993, and was reappointed for a second five-year term on 1 July 1998.
	(e) Information on the number, remit and membership of taskforces, ad hoc advisory groups and reviews has been published by the Cabinet Office on a regular basis. The first report was published on 11 January 2000 and gives information for the period between 1 May 1997 to 31 October 1999.
	A second report was published on 27 July 2000, and covered the period 1 November 1999 to 30 April 2000. A third report was published on 27 December 2000 covering the period 1 May 2000 to 31 October 2000. The most recent report: "Taskforces, Ad Hoc Advisory Groups and Reviews", which was issued in October 2001, covers the period of the financial year 2000–01. Copies of these reports are available in the Library.
	Since the publication of the last annual report, a number of significant reviews have been commissioned and have issued reports. These include:
	Howard Davies report on "Enterprise and the Economy in Education", published on 14 February 2002;
	Derek Wanless' report—"Securing Our Future Health: Taking a Long-Term View", published on 17 April 2002;
	Ron Sandler's report on his "Review of Retail Savings", published on 9 July 2002.
	Information on the political affiliation of chairs of the bodies listed is not collected. Membership and voting behaviour is a matter on which all citizens have the right to privacy.

Correspondence

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to letters from the hon. Member for Workington concerning correspondence from Mr. Proctor, a Cockermouth constituent.

Ruth Kelly: I have replied to my hon. Friend, and apologise for the considerable delay which occurred while we listened to all interested parties and resolved the issue.

ECOFIN Council

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the outcome was of the ECOFIN Council held on 12 July; what the Government's stance was on each issue discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I attended the ECOFIN meeting on 12 July.
	The Presidency introduced their work programme for ECOFIN. I and a number of other Ministers, stressed the importance of ECOFIN discussing the economic and budgetary aspects of enlargement.
	ECOFIN then had an orientation debate on the Commission's Communication on company taxation "Towards an Internal Market without tax obstacles". I stressed that we could consider some of the proposed targeted measures based on existing directive but could not accept harmonisation of the corporate tax base or rate. The Presidency asked the Commission to take forward further work, concentrating on the proposed short term targeted measures.
	ECOFIN adopted conclusions on financial services, agreeing to extend the Lamfalussy procedures for securities legislation to the banking and insurance sectors. There will be further discussion of this at the October ECOFIN. ECOFIN agreed a mandate for an inter- institutional monitoring group to report on the progress of the Lamfalussy procedures in the securities markets. The Council also noted a brief oral update from the Commission on implications of the current market situation for financial services.
	The chairman of the Economic Policy Committee (EPC) gave an oral report to the Council, and presented two EPC papers on the relative merits of different pension systems. ECOFIN invited the Commission and the Economic Policy Committee to continue their work, focusing on the long term sustainability of pensions systems. There will be a joint Commission-Council report on pensions to the spring 2003 European Council.
	The Commission made a short presentation to the Council on public finances in EMU.
	ECOFIN noted the Commission's annual report on the protection of the Community's financial interests and the fight against fraud, and will discuss this again once the report has been considered by the relevant committees.
	ECOFIN agreed conclusions on Council reform as a follow up to the Seville European Council, and on methods of evaluating output gaps.
	No votes were taken at this meeting.

EU Committees (Scottish Executive Representation)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the European Securities Committee is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The European Securities Committee is next due to meet on 19 and 20 September 2002. The UK is represented by an official from HM Treasury. Financial regulation is not a devolved matter. Representatives of the Scottish Executive have not attended the Committee.

Tax Credits (Advertising)

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the advertising campaigns for (a) the working families tax credit, (b) the disabled person's tax credit, (c) the children's tax credit, (d) the child care tax credit and (e) the baby tax credit, have cost; and what the total annual spend on advertising each of these tax credits has been in each year since 1999–2000.

Dawn Primarolo: The total campaign costs for tax credits are as follows.
	
		£ 
		
			 Campaign Total campaign costs 
		
		
			 1999–2000  
			 Working families' tax credit 13,800,000 
			 2000–01  
			 Working families' tax credit 7,184,000 
			 Disabled person's tax credit 219,000 
			 Children's tax credit 7,161,000 
			 2001–02  
			 Working families' tax credit 2,546,000 
			 Disabled person's tax credit 957,000 
			 Children's tax credit 364,000 
		
	
	Note:
	All figures include advertising, VAT and other promotional activity such as freephone helpline.
	The 1999–2000 campaign costs for disabled person's tax credit were included within the working families' tax credit total campaign expenditure. The cost of obtaining a further breakdown of the total campaign costs between the two credits for that first year of their launch would be disproportionate.
	The child care tax credit is a component of working families' and disabled person's tax credit and the baby tax credit is a component of the children's tax credit. Figures for child care tax credit and baby tax credit expenditure are not, therefore, accounted for separately.
	For advertising costs alone I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor) on 13 June 2002, Official Report, column 1394W.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Manchester City Council

Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he last met the leader of Manchester city council.

John Prescott: I last met the leader of Manchester city council on 25 September 2001.

Special Advisers

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many special advisers serve in his Department; and what the total of their annual salaries is.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has three special adviser posts, two and a half of which are currently filled. It is not normal practice to release details of salaries paid.

Comprehensive Spending Review

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many staff have contributed to his Department's input to the spending review.

Christopher Leslie: The spending review involves a comprehensive assessment of the Department's performance, priorities and resource requirements and a wide range of staff make a contribution.

Homelessness

Brian White: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people were accepted as homeless in each of the unitary authorities in each of the last five years; and how many were accommodated in bed and breakfast establishments.

Tony McNulty: Summary information on activity under statutory homelessness provisions is reported to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister by local authorities in England. This includes the number of households accepted under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 and 1996 Housing Acts as being eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and the number of these households resident in various types of temporary accommodation, including bed and breakfast hotels, at the end of each quarter.
	National and regional figures are presented in a quarterly Statistical Release, and an accompanying Supplementary Table also summarises reported information at local authority level. Both of these are available in the Library and via the ODPM website.
	A summary of available information for the 46 unitary authorities in England is presented in the following table.
	
		
			  Households accepted as unintentionally homeless and in priority need during year  Homeless households in bed and breakfast accommodation as at end March  
			  1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Bath and North East Somerset 405 299 294 269 364 10 3 5 4 27 24 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 444 187 198 182 232 (14)— (14)— (14)— (14)— (14)— (14)— 
			 Blackpool 89 98 96 118 132 (14)— (14)— (14)— (14)— (14)— (14)— 
			 Bournemouth 257 281 393 496 512 16 14 (14)— 76 102 96 
			 Bracknell Forest 62 55 73 65 59 2 6 4 8 15 3 
			 Brighton and Hove 914 631 868 925 1,112 135 142 171 248 282 291 
			 Bristol 1,621 1,408 974 1,153 1,444 44 49 86 65 96 149 
			 Darlington 87 51 72 211 197 (14)— 8 2 6 1 1 
			 Derby 1,114 1,245 1,258 1,065 1,085 (14)— 1 (14)— 3 1 1 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 244 281 307 305 289 4 1 (14)— (14)— 2 1 
			 Halton 308 163 147 126 216 3 (15)— (15)— (14)— 5 (15)— 
			 Hartlepool 209 161 131 223 240 1 (14)— 3 (14)— (14)— (14)— 
			 Herefordshire 324 187 254 304 278 1 8 11 7 7 11 
			 Isle of Wight 283 322 270 296 297 27 56 71 54 68 72 
			 Kingston upon Hull 273 114 153 230 270 (14)— (14)— (14)— (15)— (14)— (14)— 
			 Leicester 1,021 282 747 692 774 1 (15)— (15)— (14)— (14)— (15)— 
			 Luton 260 195 209 229 261 10 5 4 5 33 25 
			 Medway 262 238 113 170 355 (14)— 1 3 16 58 52 
			 Middlesbrough 472 484 406 408 414 7 6 7 2 2 12 
			 Milton Keynes 559 578 537 613 1,035 (14)— (14)— (14)— (14)— 2 2 
			 North East Lincolnshire 234 163 131 87 95 (14)— 2 2 (14)— (14)— (14)— 
			 North Lincolnshire 166 230 260 249 259 (14)— (14)— (14)— (14)— (14)— 1 
			 North Somerset 215 214 362 318 343 7 14 1 5 23 27 
			 Nottingham City 1,074 908 943 881 880 7 2 (15)— (15)— 6 (15)— 
			 Peterborough 169 125 95 127 170 5 (14)— 3 8 16 3 
			 Plymouth 791 940 911 1,019 1,112 17 24 36 70 55 94 
			 Poole 135 153 134 125 170 (14)— 40 48 43 60 42 
			 Portsmouth 559 413 670 547 529 18 19 14 20 18 21 
			 Reading 590 583 464 433 468 3 3 2 7 31 36 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 657 479 505 419 439 54 45 32 21 30 (15)— 
			 Rutland 24 16 10 6 10 1 (14)— (14)— (14)— (14)— (14)— 
			 Slough 142 148 213 249 291 (14)— 1 8 14 16 22 
			 South Gloucestershire 401 403 392 403 570 31 47 47 74 128 142 
			 Southampton 537 584 663 758 686 3 1 (14)— (14)— 1 7 
			 Southend-on-Sea 71 77 83 91 121 (14)— 3 3 21 50 24 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 390 158 199 242 287 3 (14)— 7 2 1 9 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 232 171 163 193 233 (14)— 1 (14)— 1 (14)— (14)— 
			 Swindon 432 408 377 255 277 (15)— (15)— 10 9 14 7 
			 Telford and Wrekin 374 341 341 316 352 (14)— (14)— (14)— (14)— (14)— (14)— 
			 Thurrock 88 174 163 130 186 (14)— (14)— (14)— (14)— 5 (15)— 
			 Torbay 184 253 226 185 139 5 6 11 4 13 (15)— 
			 Warrington 371 295 215 273 335 (14)— (14)— 3 (14)— (14)— (15)— 
			 West Berkshire 237 225 209 204 169 (14)— 1 1 6 11 (14)— 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 250 105 42 77 49 6 12 20 26 8 5 
			 Wokingham 136 112 122 143 94 1 (14)— 2 1 16 (15)— 
			 York 196 280 393 282 495 13 18 26 24 68 41 
		
	
	(14) Denotes nil (0)
	(15) Denotes data not reported
	Sources:
	Acceptances: ODPM annual Housing Investment Programme (HIP) returns
	Bed and breakfast: ODPM quarterly P1E housing activity and HIP returns

Social Exclusion

Clive Efford: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what action he is taking to identify deprived communities at sub-ward level to ensure that they are not excluded from future Government programmes to combat poverty and social exclusion.

Tony McNulty: The Government's Neighbourhood Statistics initiative will aim to provide deprivation-related data at sub-ward level in the future.
	In addition, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will shortly award a contract to investigate how the Indices of Deprivation 2000 (the current measure used to identify deprived neighbourhoods) may be further developed and, where possible, updated.
	As part of this contract, the researchers will assess the potential for further developing the indices to sub-ward level.

Fire Services (Radio Communications)

Geraint Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what effect the time scale proposed for the procurement of a national radio communications system for the fire services in England and Wales will have on the ability of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority to have in place a new radio system by December 2005.

Christopher Leslie: The project to procure a national radio communications system for the fire service is now under way. A prior indicative notice was published under EU procurement rules on 11 July, and the project team are taking forward work on the development of project plans and system specification. We expect to publish a formal notice in the Official Journal of the European Communities by the end of this year. The new national procurement strategy will deliver new radio systems to fire authorities, including the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, from 2005 up to December 2007—but with higher levels of resilience and interoperability than planned under the previous regional procurement.

Haven Gateway Partnership

John Gummer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to ensure that the Haven Gateway Partnership is treated as a legitimate stakeholder when economic and social regeneration initiatives and policies are being considered affecting the eastern region.

Nick Raynsford: I recognise the important role that the Haven Gateway Partnership, working with the East of England Development Agency and other partners, is playing in raising the economic profile of the area, and it will continue to be consulted about policy proposals and initiatives in the east of England region that are relevant to that role.

Residential Property Conversions

Peter Lilley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many existing dwellings were converted into multi- occupancy dwellings in (a) Greater London and (b) Hertfordshire in each year since 1981.

Nick Raynsford: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Residential Property Conversions

Peter Lilley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many non-residential properties were converted into residential dwellings in (a) Greater London and (b) Hertfordshire in each year from 1981.

Nick Raynsford: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Coalfield Regeneration Trust

Don Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much money from (a) his Department and (b) other Government Departments has been granted to the Coalfield Regeneration Trust since February 2001.

Tony McNulty: Since February 2001 the Coalfields Regeneration Trust has received the following sums of money for England:
	(a) From ODPM—£26,107,681; and
	(b) From DCMS (Heritage Lottery Fund)—£69,064.
	The Trust has also received European funds of £1,272,112.
	As announced in February 2001, from 1 April 2002 another £45 million will be made available from the ODPM to the trust over the three years to 2005.

Telecommunications Masts

Keith Simpson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what action he is taking to restrict the erection of telecommunications masts in residential areas.

Tony McNulty: Mobile phone mast development in residential areas is subject to the normal telecommunications planning arrangements in place throughout England, set out in Part 24 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (GPDO). These arrangements were significantly strengthened last year and include improved requirements for consulting local people about mast proposals. The changes to the GPDO were underpinned by revised guidance, set out in Planning Policy Guidance note 8, Telecommunications.
	The Stewart Report on Mobile Phones and Health, published in May 2000, did not recommend that the erection of mobile phone masts should be restricted in residential areas and we have no plans to introduce such a restriction.

Unadopted Roads

Mark Tami: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he gives to local authorities regarding the adoption of (a) unadopted and (b) un-made roads.

David Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
	My Department does not give formal guidance to local authorities regarding the adoption of unadopted or unmade roads. However, the governing legislation applying to the adoption of unadopted roads is contained in sections 205–218 of the Highways Act 1980. Any decision to adopt these roads which are not highways maintainable at the public expense is a matter for the local highway authority.

Unadopted Roads

Mark Tami: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he provides to local authorities regarding the provision of services to properties located on unadopted roads.

David Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government do not provide any specific guidance to local authorities relating to waste collection or street cleaning on unadopted roads.
	However, the Environmental Protection Act 1990 places a duty on each waste collection authority to arrange for the collection of household waste in its area, except where the waste is situated at a place which, in the opinion of the authority, is so isolated or inaccessible that the cost of collecting it would be unreasonably high.
	The Act also puts a duty on local authorities and statutory undertakers to keep their relevant land, including roads, clear of litter and refuse. However, this duty does not apply to unadopted roads as they are not 'relevant land' as specified under section 86 of the Act. The clearance of litter on these roads is therefore the responsibility of the residents on that road.

Abandoned Cars

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on what date he sent new guidelines on dealing with abandoned cars to local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: I have been asked to reply.
	New Regulations (Statutory Instrument 2002–746) to reduce the time after which local authorities can remove vehicles abandoned on the highway came into force on 9 April. These were sent on 11 April under a letter of guidance to the chief executive of each waste collection authority, waste disposal authority and joint waste disposal authority in England.

Regulatory Accountability

Brian Cotter: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many regulatory proposals the ministerial panel on regulatory accountability has scrutinised in the last 12 months.

Douglas Alexander: I have been asked to reply.
	It is established practice under Exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information that information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committee business is not disclosed.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Nuclear Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations her Department has received concerning (a) current and (b) projected expenditure on nuclear energy publicity campaigns.

Brian Wilson: None.

Nuclear Waste

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what testing procedures are employed, and at what cost, to ensure the safety of storage flasks used in the transportation of nuclear waste.

Brian Wilson: In the UK, flasks used for the transport of radioactive material are approved by the Department of Transport to all relevant national and international regulations based on the recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA's recommendations, "Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material, 1996 Edition (Revised)", contain very stringent design test requirements that all packages, including flasks, must meet.
	The costs associated with testing such flask designs and the flasks themselves, are borne by the industry.

Nuclear Security

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent measures she has implemented to increase the Office of Civil Nuclear Security's anti-terrorist inspections at nuclear facilities.

Brian Wilson: As stated in his recent Annual report, the Director of Civil Nuclear Security is recruiting extra staff to strengthen oversight and inspection at civil nuclear facilities.

Nuclear Plant Construction

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what sites are being considered for the construction of nuclear plants.

Brian Wilson: None. In common with all generation options, the initiative for bringing forward proposals to construct new plant lies with the market and the generating companies. British Energy and BNFL have said they have no current plans for such proposals.

Energy Industry (Hackers)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations have been made to her Department regarding (a) the level of hacker activity against the energy industry and (b) the origin of such activity.

Brian Wilson: No recent representations have been received on these topics.

Energy (Economic Competitiveness)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations her Department has received and by what measures she assesses the economic competitiveness of (i) nuclear, (ii) renewable, (iii) coal and (iv) fossil-fuel energy.

Brian Wilson: Following the Performance and Innovation Unit's Energy Review, the Government launched a consultation on energy policy on 14 May with a view to publishing a White Paper around the turn of the year. The consultation document states that competitiveness is a key objective of energy policy.
	We shall shortly be posting the early replies which we have received to the consultation on the DTI's website, and a number of these have raised issues related to the competitiveness of different energy sources.
	A key measure of competitiveness is relative cost but other aspects which may be relevant include market share, openness to trade, measures of productivity and levels of innovation.
	Our view of the competitiveness of particular fuels is influenced by the extent to which external factors such as the impact on the environment or security are significant and have been taken into account.

Uranium Mining

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry where the uranium mines are from which the United Kingdom has obtained uranium since 1997.

Brian Wilson: This is a matter for the companies concerned.

Fuel Companies

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment the Government have made of the trend in the number of transfers of fuel supply by energy companies without customers' consent.

Brian Wilson: The number of complaints about the erroneous transfer of gas supply received by Energywatch rose from 2,511—one and a half per 1,000 transfers—in January to June 2001 to 4,204—two per 1,000 transfers—in July to December 2001. In the same period, the number of complaints about the erroneous transfer of electricity supply rose from 2,905—one per 1,000 transfers—to 4,837—one and a half per 1,000 transfers. Complaints about marketing for 2001 also include involuntary transfers that occurred as a result of the sales process. The number of gas marketing complaints rose from 1,201 in January to June 2001 to 1,753 in July to December 2001. In the same period, electricity marketing complaints rose from 1,776 to 3,116. Energywatch complaints figures will shortly incorporate erroneous transfers arising from both administrative or data error and mis-selling. Although involuntary transfers remain very low in relation to the level of transfer activity—there were almost 1 million registrations in 2001—the Government are concerned about the distress and inconvenience caused by erroneous transfer of energy supply. They welcomed the Erroneous Transfer Customer Charter, which came into force on 1 January 2002. They have also encouraged the industry in its development of an action plan to address mis- selling, which should remove a key cause of erroneous transfers.

Fuel Companies

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will require fuel companies staff to be trained in consumer protection laws which relate to the fuel industry.

Brian Wilson: The gas and electricity supply industry is working with the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) and Energywatch on an action plan to address the problem of sales malpractice. Among other things, this will involve the establishment of an industry-wide code of practice. Six companies will also pilot the Electricity Association's EnergySure scheme, which was launched on 15 July. This will ensure that all agents are trained to an agreed, externally monitored standard. It will specifically require that sales agents understand the range of general and specific regulations that protect energy consumers.

Fuel Supply Transfers

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what sanctions exist for energy companies which carry out transfers of fuel supply without customers' consent.

Brian Wilson: The treatment of erroneous transfers is governed by the Erroneous Transfer Customer Charter, which was developed by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) and Energywatch. The charter, which is intended to improve co-operation between suppliers with a view to resolving problems quickly, with minimal involvement on the consumer's part, was agreed by the industry last year and came into force on 1 January 2002. OFGEM will review the industry's performance against the charter in October 2002, and has made clear that, if the industry's performance against the charter is inadequate, it will consider the modification of standard licence conditions or the introduction of guaranteed standards of performance, which carry an automatic right to compensation.
	Where erroneous transfers arise from mis-selling, the mis-selling may be dealt with under the appropriate consumer legislation or under condition 48 of the gas and electricity supply licence—the marketing licence condition. OFGEM may take a wide range of action in respect of breaches of licence conditions, including levying financial penalties.

Consignia

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 27 June 2002, Official Report, column 988W, on Consignia, if she will list the total severance pay, broken down by (a) redundancy pay, (b) pension contribution and (c) other payments, for (i) Neville Bain and (ii) Mike Kinski; what notice period was served by each; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Neville Bain's employment ceased at the end of a fixed-term contract. No redundancy or other payment was provided. Mr. Bain is in receipt of a pension in accordance with his contract. There was no explicit notice period other than the duration of the fixed-term contract.
	Mike Kinski resigned his Directorship. There was no notice period applicable, no redundancy or other payment, and no pension entitlement.

Consignia

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has made to Consignia in relation to their proposal to charge businesses for deliveries prior to 9 am.

Stephen Timms: None. Consignia's proposals are an operational matter for the company, who will consult fully with the regulator, the Postal Services Commission, and the consumer body, Postwatch.

Post Office

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact on small businesses in rural areas of (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) England of the proposal to impose charges for delivery of mail prior to 9 am.

Stephen Timms: None. Consignia's proposals are an operational matter for the company, who will consult fully with the regulator, the Postal Services Commission, and the consumer body, Postwatch.

Postal Services

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the implications for United Kingdom postal services of the decision of the European Commission that Deutsche Post should repay illegal state aid.

Stephen Timms: The Government have not yet studied the details surrounding the Commission's decision in this case. However in general we welcome the Commission's determination to tackle state aid which illegally distorts competitive markets. The decision will have no impact on our proposed funding for the post office network and mails business as this will be dictated solely by the need to ensure that the company continues to perform its vital social and economic role in a context of growing competition in postal services. Such objectives are legitimate in state aids terms and we will ensure that any aid or investment we provide will be fully compatible with the European rules.

Post Office (Disabled Access)

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether provision will be made in the review of the urban and rural post office network for the provision of disabled access for those offices that need them.

Stephen Timms: As a matter of general policy, provision for disabled access to post offices will be taken into account in reviewing the future structure of the network. Compliance with the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act at any specific post office location is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. in respect of Crown offices and of the individual subpostmaster in respect of sub post offices.
	I have been informed by Post Office Ltd. that subpostmasters have been provided with packs enabling them to audit their own offices for Disability Discrimination Act compliance and that advice will be provided by Post Office Ltd. throughout this process.

Post Office (Disabled Access)

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list, by region, the post offices that are accessible by the disabled; and what proportion these post offices comprise of the total in their respective region.

Stephen Timms: Accessibility for the disabled at post offices is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. together with individual subpostmasters and I have asked the chief executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Post Office (Casual Workers)

John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what checks were carried out by the Post Office on (a) agency and (b) directly recruited casual workers employed in 2001.

Stephen Timms: These are matters that fall within the day to day responsibility of Consignia and I have therefore asked the chief executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Subpostmaster Vacancies

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many subpostmaster vacancies there were in each year since 1997, including 2002 to date.

Stephen Timms: Subpostmaster vacancies are an operational matter for the Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the chief executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Vibration White Finger

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many former miners suffering from vibration white finger who had mixed employment with both British Coal and other mining contractors have received their compensation; and how many claims are outstanding.

Brian Wilson: There have been around 3,700 settlements of general damages compensation in co-defendant cases. We estimate that there are around 17,000 claims outstanding.

Departmental Staff (Scotland)

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what percentage of (a) civil service, (b) executive agencies and (c) non- departmental public body jobs under the remit of her Department are located in Scotland; and how many of each have been relocated to Scotland since May 1997.

Patricia Hewitt: A number of the activities carried out by DTI and its agencies are the responsibility in Scotland of the Scottish Executive, so that direct comparisons are inappropriate. Bearing in mind that caveat, the following table sets out the numbers of staff in DTI and its executive agencies who are located in Scotland.
	
		
			  Organisation  Staff based in Scotland  All staff Percentage of staff based in Scotland 
		
		
			 DTI Headquarters 166 5,178 3.21 
			 ETS—Employment Tribunals Service 70 934 7.49 
			 INSS—Insolvency Service 6 1,385 0.43 
			 NWML—National Weights and Measures Laboratory 0 57 0.00 
			 PATS—Patent Office 0 801 0.00 
			 R—Radiocommunications 12 607 1.98 
			 SBS—Small Business Service 0 279 0.00 
			 CH—Companies House 42 1,193 3.52 
			 Grand Total 296 10,434 2.84 
		
	
	Information about NDPBs and the number of posts relocated since May 1997 cannot be answered without incurring disproportionate cost.

Company Takeovers

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the operation of Section 429(4) of the Companies Act 1985 and Schedule 12 to the Financial Services Act 1986.

Melanie Johnson: Schedule 12 to the Financial Services Act 1986 introduced Part XIII A into the Companies Act 1985 which is designed to deal with the problems of residual minority shareholdings following a successful takeover bid. The principal provisions are:
	(a) Rights enabling a successful takeover bidder which has acquired not less than 90 per cent. in value of the shares to which the offer relates to compulsorily acquire the remaining residual minority shareholding (known as "squeeze-out" rights); and
	(b) Equivalent rights to a minority shareholder to require the successful bidder in these circumstances to acquire the shares owned by the minority shareholder ("sell-out" rights).
	To ensure that these rights are not abused, important safeguards are in place (including strict time limits during which squeeze-out rights and sell-out rights may be exercised, a requirement that the price offered to minority shareholders must be the same as that of the original offer and the right to apply to court in exceptional circumstances).
	Section 429(4) of the Companies Act lays down the mechanisms by which a successful takeover bidder may exercise squeeze-out rights.

Small Business Service

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures the Small Business Service is taking to ensure that regulations do not impose unnecessary burdens on small businesses.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 15 July 2002
	The Small Business Service is taking a number of steps to mitigate the effects of regulation and to reduce the burden on small businesses. The SBS has:
	produced clear guidance on a number of complex regulations.
	made help and advice available through the Business Link website www.businesslink.org. This is now attracting 80,000 users per month—and businesses can register to receive alerts about regulations automatically.
	established close working links with the Small Business Council.
	secured (as a result of its "Think Small First" strategy) the right to be consulted on all new regulations to ensure that the impact on small businesses is not disproportionate. Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) have to be produced for all regulations setting out clearly the costs and benefits with full recognition of small business concerns.
	secured for small businesses a 12 week period between regulations being agreed and implemented, allowing small businesses time to adapt to the new regulations.
	regularly brought together groups of small businesses to express their views directly to policy officials such as for Patrick Carter's review of payroll administration, a copy of which is in the Libraries of the House.
	we have also set up an independent office to represent the views of small firms to the European institutions, headed by Ben Butters, which takes its lobbying lines from small firms in the United Kingdom.
	the OECD assessment of regulatory barriers ranks the UK as having the fewest barriers.
	Further to all this and following the recent review of the Department of Trade and Industry, the regulatory challenge function within DTI has been strengthened. A new team has been created specifically to consider how the Department should challenge existing and future legislation as well as how to ensure all policy makers fully consider alternatives to regulation at the outset of the policy making process.

Mine Workers Compensation

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been paid in England and Wales by the Government in recompense for legal fees to solicitors in respect of industrial compensation claims for (a) vibration white finger and (b) chest disease for former mine-workers, (i) in total and (ii) broken down by (A) individual legal practices and (B) parliamentary constituency.

Brian Wilson: The information is as follows:
	
		Total costs paid to solicitors as at 9 July 2002 -- £ million
		
			   COPD VWF 
		
		
			 Total costs paid to solicitors 66 52 
		
	
	I have placed details of the breakdown by (A) individual legal practices and (B) parliamentary constituencies in the Libraries of the House.

Renewable Energy

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what percentage of energy consumed in the UK in each of the last five years came from renewable sources;
	(2)  what proportion of UK energy consumption she expects being derived from renewable sources in each of the next five years.

Brian Wilson: The percentage of total UK inland energy consumption that was accounted for by all renewable sources in each of the last five years was as follows:
	
		
			   Total use of renewable sources(16) Total inland energy consumption(17)  
			   thousand tonnes of oil equivalent Percentage 
		
		
			 1997 2,326 226,814 1.0 
			 1998 2,583 230,785 1.1 
			 1999 2,757 231,353 1.2 
			 2000 2,957 233,423 1.3 
			 2001 3,099 237,727 1.3 
		
	
	(16) includes non-biodegradable wastes and renewables used to generate heat
	(17) non-energy uses of gas and oil are excluded; energy consumption is expressed in terms of primary energy inputs (i.e. electricity's contribution to consumption is measured by the energy content of the fuel used to generate the electricity).
	Source:
	Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 2002
	On the same basis, the available projections, published in Energy Paper 68, "Energy Projections for the UK", are for 2005 and 2010. These projections give percentages for 2005 of 2.3 or 2.4 per cent. of UK energy consumption being met from renewable sources, depending on the scenario, and for 2010 between 4.3 and 4.8 per cent. These figures reflect the projected increase in the amount of electricity generated from renewable sources which is planned to reach 10 per cent. by 2010.

Post Boxes

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to increase the accessibility of post boxes.

Stephen Timms: These are matters that fall within the day to day responsibility of Consignia and I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Regional Development Agencies

Debra Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much financial support RDAs have provided for building projects on previously undeveloped land in the last financial year.

Alan Johnson: During the three years after the RDAs were created on 1 April 1999 up to the introduction of their single programme funding on 1 April 2002, the RDAs reported to each funding Department individually on the outcome of their separate programmes. Building projects on undeveloped land were funded by what is now the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Accordingly DTI does not hold any figures for the last financial year.

Office for Civil Nuclear Security

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which bodies carry out the training of new recruits to the Office for Civil Nuclear Security.

Brian Wilson: The Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) employs applicants with a suitable background in the area. In addition to providing specialist training within its own organisation, new recruits undergo training as applicable and necessary with a number of other Government agencies.

Office for Civil Nuclear Security

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2002 to the hon. Member for Workington (Tony Cunningham), Official Report, column 1157W, on the Director of Civil Nuclear Security, when she received a copy of the report from the Director of Civil Nuclear Security; whether a press release was issued to accompany the release of the report; and to which individuals, bodies and organisations in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) elsewhere the report has been sent.

Brian Wilson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry received a copy of the Director of the Office for Civil Nuclear Security's (OCNS) first annual report during May. No press release was issued about its publication. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Workington (Tony Cunningham) on 11 June 2002, Official Report, column 1157W when I said that the report was being placed in the Libraries of the House that day and was also being made available on the DTI website, www.dti.gov.uk. The report was also sent to all civil nuclear companies in the United Kingdom subject to security regulation, to overseas liaison contacts of OCNS and other Government Departments and agencies as appropriate.

Ofgem

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with the Ofgem board about the development of renewable energy in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Brian Wilson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and I have regular discussions with the chairman of the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority, who is also the chief executive of Ofgem, on matters including the development of renewable energy.
	The responsibilities of Ofgem are defined by legislation. The aim of discussions between this Department and Ofgem is to explore how Ofgem, in carrying out its statutory responsibilities, can best assist in the furtherance of Government energy policy objectives, including the development of renewable energy.

Ofgem

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the levels of remuneration for members of the Ofgem board.

Brian Wilson: The non-executive members of the board are paid £12,000 per annum.
	The executive members of the board are paid annual salaries as follows:
	
		
			 Range (£) No. of members 
		
		
			 95,000 to 100,000 1 
			 110,000 to 115,000 1 
			 120,000 to 125,000 1 
			 140,000 to 145,000 1 
			 160,000 to 165,000 1 
		
	
	Source:
	Ofgem Annual Report

Environmental Criteria

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had on the proposed EU Commission directive on public procurement relating to environmental criteria; and if she will make a statement.

Brian Wilson: The Government have been heavily involved in discussions—both domestically and in Brussels—on the proposed new public procurement directive which, among other things, clarifies the scope to take account of environmental issues in public procurement. My hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Competition, Consumers and Markets, signed up to a political agreement on the proposed directive at the Internal Market Council on 21 May. The proposed new directive will make it clear how environmental issues can be taken into account at all stages of the procurement process. This clarification, which is very much in line with UK objectives, should be particularly helpful in confirming the scope to take account of green production processes, eco-label criteria and environmental management systems.

Environment

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will take steps to support integration of environmental considerations into the public procurement process at the EU Council meeting in September; and if she will make a statement.

Brian Wilson: Political agreement was reached on the proposals to simplify, clarify and update the existing public procurement directives at the Internal Market Council on 21 May. In the discussions leading up to this agreement, the UK strongly supported proposals to incorporate legitimate environmental considerations into the procurement process. The proposed new directive will, in particular, clarify the scope to use non-discriminatory specifications, which can include relevant eco-label criteria and green production processes. It will also confirm the scope to consider relevant elements of a company's environmental management systems in selecting tenderers, and to take account of whole life cost and quality issues, such as energy and disposal savings which benefit the contracting authority, at the award stage. This is all very much in line with UK objectives. Discussions are continuing on parallel proposals to amend the utilities directive, where it is expected that the scope to take account of environmental issues, under this directive, will be very similar to that for the public sector. It is not yet clear whether procurement will be a matter for the September Internal Market Council.

Environment

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to incorporate environmental criteria into public procurement policies by EU member states.

Brian Wilson: Each member state is responsible for its own public procurement policies within the framework set by the treaty and the EC public procurement directives. The Government have been very active—both domestically and in Brussels—in considering how environmental issues can be taken into account in public procurement within the EC legal framework and the Government's policy of achieving value for money for the taxpayer. The UK played a full part in the discussions in Brussels leading up to the publication of the Commission's interpretative communication on environmental issues and in the clarifications, in the proposed new public sector directive, of how environmental considerations can be taken into account at each stage of the procurement process.

EU Policy Decisions

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what account she has taken of the treaty of Amsterdam in seeking to integrate environmental considerations into policy decisions by the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Brian Wilson: Especially bearing in mind the treaty of Amsterdam, the Department has played an active and constructive part in those formations of the Council where the Department leads, to implement the conclusions of the Cardiff and subsequent Councils on integrating the environment and sustainable development in all areas of European Union policy making.

Bankrupts

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what extra resources have been granted to the Official Receiver to ensure that the distinction between culpable and non-culpable bankrupts under the Enterprise Bill can be made.

Melanie Johnson: The Insolvency Service has been given additional funding equivalent to some 8 per cent. of the Service's gross administration budget for the next two years to train specialist staff and introduce the procedures and new IT systems required to deliver the reforms, including the new BRO process.

Ex-miners (Compensation Claims)

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how long she estimates it will take to process the compensation claims by ex-miners who are suffering from vibration white finger, chronic bronchitis and emphysema; what steps she is taking to speed up the processing of claims; what plans she has to simplify and speed up the medical assessments required in compensation claims; and how many claimants have died while awaiting compensation.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 16 July 2002
	We currently receive around 700 new claims per week for vibration white finger (VWF) and around 900 per week for respiratory disease. It is therefore not possible to estimate how long it will take to process all claims.
	In order to speed up the claims process, we are continuing to work closely with the contractors and the claimants' solicitors, and have systems in place such as national ministerial monitoring groups in order to monitor the process. We are therefore ensuring that all parties are able to work together to make sure that any delays are dealt with promptly.
	The medical assessment processes for both respiratory disease and vibration white finger are detailed thoroughly in order to ensure that each claim is dealt with fairly and on an individual basis. They were agreed between the parties and there are no current plans to change them. The medical assessment is not a bottleneck causing delay in either scheme.
	The handling agreement for compensation for VWF was formally signed on 22 January 1999, and the respiratory disease handling agreement was formally signed on 24 September 1999. Claims under either scheme could not have been settled before this date. The number of claimants who initiated their claim after the date of the agreement, but have died since registering their claim, is 9,071 for respiratory disease and 3,151 for VWF.

British Manufacturing

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent steps have been taken to support British manufacturing.

Alan Johnson: The Government's Strategy for Manufacturing, published on 16 May this year sets a strategic framework for action, in partnership with key stakeholders, to help UK manufacturing companies fulfil their potential and move up the value chain to high- skilled, knowledge-intensive, highly productive operations. The strategy identifies seven pillars with objectives and actions for Government and industry to develop:
	Macro-economic stability
	Investment
	Innovation
	Best practice
	Raising skills and education levels
	Modern infrastructure
	The right market framework.
	It has been warmly received by manufacturers and trade unions.
	Recent steps taken within the strategy include:
	The roll out of the Manufacturing Advisory Service across the Regions.
	An example of practical measures to build manufacturing excellence, the MAS will provide free information to all UK manufacturers and practical help for smaller and medium sized firms in England and Wales who want to introduce world class manufacturing practices and technologies but who can find it difficult to access the information they need.
	Action on skills and training.
	The Government are determined to raise skills and education levels with vocational GCSEs and modern apprenticeships offering high quality vocational training to young people. We are establishing a network of employer-led Sector Skills Councils to drive up demand and give employers a voice in skills supply.
	Support for investment.
	Through regional selective assistance, through the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme and inward investment through Invest UK. The Government are promoting more investment in basic science and have introduced R&D tax credits for SMEs and recently for larger companies to encourage innovation.
	Innovation and Growth teams.
	The DTI has set up a number of Innovation and Growth teams in key sectors, drawing upon the expertise of their major stakeholders to identify key issues which will shape their future and help the UK to respond to competitive challenges. The first of these teams, covering the automotive sector reported on 16 May.
	Expansion of best practice programmes.
	To drive up national competitiveness and productivity. Best Practice, enables innovation and investment to be turned into profitable products. The Government's policies include support for the new manufacturing advisory service, expansion of the business-led Industry Forum schemes and promotion of partnership in the work place by people focused programmes such as the Partnership Fund. At the manufacturing summit last December, an additional £20 million was earmarked for Best Practice activity.
	A substantial boost to the science budget.
	To encourage a vibrant flow of skills and ideas into manufacturing from our science base. The Chancellor's announcement on the spending review, included an increase in resources for knowledge transfer from £84 million in 2003–04 to £114 million in 2005–06. DTI manufacturing policy team.
	A strengthened DTI manufacturing policy team and plans to strengthen inter-departmental action on manufacturing.

Alternative Energy

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what (a) geothermal plants, (b) wind power farms, (c) wave power and (d) biogas plants have opened since 1997.

Brian Wilson: The Department does not maintain a register of all renewable energy facilities.
	The British Wind Energy Association maintains a list of wind farms in the UK on its website at http://www.bwea.com/map/list.html.
	This includes 38 wind farms opened between 1997 and March 2002.
	The Department is aware of 126 biogas plants that have opened since 1997. All derive the biogas from landfill sites. A list of these plants has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	A wave power plant on the island of Islay commenced generation in November 2000. The Department is not aware of any geothermal plant that has opened in the UK since 1997.

Directives (Trade Barriers)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the EU Committee for the Adaptation to Technical Progress of Directives on the Removal of Technical Barriers to Trade in the Sector of Measuring Instruments and Methods of Metrological Control is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement.

David Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
	No date has yet been fixed for the next meeting of this committee. Officials from the Health and Safety Executive, which is sponsored by my Department, represent the UK on the committee as policy responsibility for health and safety is a reserved matter. However, officials would consult the Scottish Executive in the event that there were agenda items in which it has an interest, in accordance with our concordat with the devolved Administrations.

Export Licences

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many open individual export licence applications relating to exports to India have been (a) not renewed, (b) not extended on a temporary basis and (c) refused since 1 May; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 2 July 2002
	Information on the number of open individual export licences (OIELs) relating to exports to India, that have not been renewed or extended on a temporary basis since 1 May 2002, is not readily available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Between 1 May 2002 and 1 July 2002 no OIEL applications were refused in full where India was one of the permitted destinations.

Export Licences

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many open individual export licences have been modified so as to exclude exports to India since 1 May.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 2 July 2002
	Between 1 May 2002 and 1 July 2002 no extant open individual export licences (OIELs) have been amended to exclude India from the coverage of the licence. However, a number of OIELs have been issued in respect of applications, which included India as an end user, where India has for the time being been excluded from the list of permitted end user countries in the issued licence.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the EU Advisory Committee for cooperation in the field of tourism is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive have been members of it; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	The Tourism Advisory Committee is mandated to facilitate exchange of information, consultation and co-operation on tourism by a Council Decision of 22 December 1986 (86/664/EEC). The Committee meets on an ad-hoc basis, some three or four times yearly, and at the request of the Commission. The next meeting has not yet been scheduled.
	There are no representatives of the Scottish Executive on the Committee. The UK is represented by officials from my Department. Under concordats with the devolved administrations, my Department leads on EC tourism issues, consulting with the devolved Administrations.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the EU Committee on the arrangements for implementing Europe Agreement with the countries of central and eastern Europe and free trade agreements with the Baltic states is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive have been members of it; and if she will make a statement.

Peter Hain: I have been asked to reply.
	The EU holds annual Association Committees with each candidate, including the three Baltic countries, to review implementation of the Europe Agreements. The next meeting of an Association Committee is expected to be on 4 December this year, with Romania. The Central European Working Group, in which member states prepare for Association Committees and discuss the arrangements for implementing the Europe Agreements, usually meets weekly in Brussels. The most recent meeting was Monday July 15. A UK official always attends and represents the concerns of the UK, including those of its devolved Administrations.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the EU Committee on the development and consolidation of democracy and the rule of law and on the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms is next due to meet; what the UK representation is on it; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: I have been asked to reply.
	The next meeting of the EU Committee on Human Rights and Democracy is provisionally set for October 2002. Officials from the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office represent the UK Government on the Committee which allocates EU budget resources to human rights and democracy projects in third countries. Scottish Executive officials have never attended this Committee. But consultation is made on issues of interest arising from the Committee's work and Scottish Executive officials can make their views known, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK Government and the devolved Administrations.

Mortgage Rates

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to deal with complaints about mortgages in the financial year 2001–02, with specific reference to dual mortgage rates.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
	The financial ombudsman service has been established under the Financial Services and Markets Act to deal with complaints against financial services firms which the firms have been unable to resolve themselves. In 2001–02 it received 3,876 new complaints about mortgage loans, of which 575 were about dual variable rate mortgages.

Regulation

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures she plans to take in response to the Commission's Action Plan for Better Regulation presented to the Seville European Council.

Douglas Alexander: I have been asked to reply.
	Firstly, the Government will be producing a formal written response to the Commission's Action Plan on Better Regulation. Through this response, it will welcome the Commission's adoption of a strategy aimed at simplifying and improving the regulatory environment and call for full and timely implementation of the measures contained in the Action Plan. The Action Plan is a key element of the Lisbon economic reform process and its implementation is required if the EU is to achieve its Lisbon goal of becoming the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world.
	Secondly, the Government will play an active role in the structures which are currently being established to monitor implementation of the Action Plan, attaching great importance to the involvement of member states in the monitoring process.
	Thirdly, the Government will continue to work with the Community Institutions and other member states, at official and ministerial level, to promote better regulation within the EU, recognising that achieving progress in this area involves commitment and action by all parties which play a part in the EU's law-making processes.

Regulation

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has (a) made to and (b) received from the Commission of the European Union regarding the implementation of the recommendations of the Mandelkern report on better Regulation; and if she will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: I have been asked to reply.
	Since its publication in November 2001, the Government have been active in pressing for the full and timely implementation of the Mandelkern Report's recommendations. In particular, the Government have focused on encouraging the Commission to draw on the report as a solid basis for its Action Plan to improve and simplify the European regulatory environment, called for at the Lisbon European Council (March 2000). In January 2002 the Government issued a formal response to a Commission Communication on this issue, reiterating the need for the rapid implementation of the Mandelkern Report and informing the Commission of the action we are taking at the national level in line with the Report's recommendations.
	For its part the Commission has responded by including the majority of the Mandelkern recommendations in its Action Plan, presented to the Seville European Council in June. The Government welcomes the Action Plan which sets out a clear strategy for better regulation at the European level and contains 16 specific measures with defined deadlines for implementation. We will now be working hard to ensure that it is swiftly and effectively implemented.

Public Houses

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to reduce the regulatory burden on public houses.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	Our plans for the modernisation of the alcohol and entertainment licensing regimes were set out clearly in the White Paper "Time for Reform" (Cm.4696) published on 10 April 2000. Alcohol and public entertainment licensing will be integrated into a single scheme. This will remove at a stroke a considerable amount of existing red tape and reduce licensing costs. Our estimate is that the existing costs of the licensing regimes to industry of around £4–5 billion over ten years would be reduced by £1.9 billion under the new regime. The reforms will be implemented by means of primary legislation to be brought forward as soon as parliamentary time permits.

Digital Services

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what deadline the Government have set for NTL to build a new cable and digital network to broadcast the channels of the Digital Terrestrial Alliance; and by what date NTL will put into operation their new digital and cable network.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	The award of digital terrestrial television multiplex is a matter for the Independent Television Commission. On 4 July, the Commission announced that it had made a conditional decision to award the licences to the BBC and Crown Castle and not to the Digital Terrestrial Alliance, whose bid included a rebuild of the digital network by NTL.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Specialist Schools

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list (a) the new specialist schools announced on 4 July, (b) the schools short-listed but not successful and (c) the schools which applied but were not short-listed; and, in each case, (i) what specialism was applied for, (ii) what the category of school is, (iii) whether the school is (A) selective and (B) a non-selective school in an area with selective education and (vi) what other departmental awards have been won by the school in the last five years.

David Miliband: holding answer 8 July 2002
	The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Specialist Schools

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will review the funding formula for specialist schools in respect of the threshold of 1,200 pupils; and if she will extend the funding so that every child attracts the same funding.

David Miliband: There are no plans to increase specialist school recurrent grant to include funding for pupil numbers from 1,001 to 1,200.

Specialist Schools

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the impact on school transport and traffic congestion of the proposed increases in specialist secondary schools.

David Miliband: No assessment of school transport or traffic congestion has been made in relation to the proposed expansion of the Specialist Schools Programme.

Specialist Schools

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance she has issued to specialist schools in respect of the processes and criteria to be (a) adopted and (b) avoided in the selection of pupils by aptitude; and what measures she has put in place to evaluate these selection processes.

David Miliband: The flexibility for admission authorities to give priority to some pupils on the basis of aptitude is not restricted to schools in the Specialist Schools Programme, but does require the school to have a particular expertise or facility. The Code of Practice on school admissions provides guidance on what is and is not permitted under Section 102 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 where the admission authority of a school with a specialism wishes to give priority to up to 10 per cent. of pupils who can demonstrate an aptitude for one of the prescribed subjects. The arrangements made are subject to local challenge and there has been no central evaluation of the processes.

Teacher Statistics

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teacher retirements due to (a) old age and (b) ill health there were in each Government office region, broken down by (i) last known sector of service and (ii) grade in the latest year for which figures are available.

David Miliband: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Teacher Statistics

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many qualified teachers in each Government office region aged under 60 have never worked in teaching, broken down by (a) calendar year qualified, (b) sex and (c) age, at the latest date for which figures are available.

David Miliband: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Teacher Statistics

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many qualified teachers aged under 60 were working outside the service in each Government office region, broken down by (a) last known employment, (b) calendar year of last employment, (c) sex and (d) age in the latest year for which figures are available.

David Miliband: The information is not collected centrally.

Teacher Statistics

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will provide a breakdown of the ethnic group of (a) primary school teachers and (b) secondary school teachers by local education authority area at the latest date for which figures are available.

David Miliband: This information is not available. For the short-term, information on the number of teachers in service by ethnic group will be collected via the Annual Survey of Teachers in Service. The next survey will be carried out in January 2003. In the longer term, ethnicity data for all the schools' workforce is likely to be collected through a proposed common dataset for adults, on which the Department has recently consulted.

Teacher Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will give a breakdown of the average proportions of SCITT funding that are directed to the (a) HE partner, (b) school and (c) mentor.

David Miliband: Most SCITTs are formed only from groups of schools working in a consortium. It is the consortium that gains accreditation, receives the funds and decides how the funds are distributed to manage and run the training programme. Some choose to buy in services from a higher education institution but they are not obliged to do so. Most choose to reward the staff involved in school-based tutoring by providing release time or with remuneration. In all cases, no central rules or regulations are set down.

Teacher Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action she plans to ensure that schools and mentors receive an appropriate proportion of SCITT funding.

David Miliband: It is for the teacher training provider to decide how best to allocate its funds to deliver initial teacher training (ITT), including what element of available resources to provide to support mentor training and mentoring activities across schools.
	The Teacher Training Agency (TTA), which has responsibility for teacher training matters, does not regulate the day-to-day management of ITT providers, including SCITTs. The quality of the training provided, including the quality of the management, is subject to periodic inspection by Ofsted. Providers would be expected to take action to address problems which affect the achievements of trainees.

Teacher Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make it her policy to increase the number of schools involved in SCITT programmes.

David Miliband: We welcome proposals from consortia of schools to become accredited providers of initial teacher training (ITT). Revised accreditation criteria were introduced last year following a consultation period. These should strengthen the SCITT sector by ensuring proposers of new provision understand the commitment they need to make to secure quality and viability and that they develop robust proposals. The further growth of the sector will depend on how many groups of schools can meet this challenge.

Teacher Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many SCITT schemes have been funded; and how many graduate teachers they have yielded in each of the last three years.

David Miliband: 30 SCITT schemes were funded in 1998–99, 36 in 1999–2000 and 46 in 2000–01. In 1998–99, 555 trainees were awarded qualified teacher status (QTS), of whom 483 gained teaching posts; in 1999–2000, 624 trainees were awarded QTS, of whom 569 gained teaching posts; and in 2000–01, 762 trainees were awarded QTS, of whom 708 gained teaching posts.

Teacher Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make it her policy to extend school centred initial teacher training to include people other than postgraduates in certain clearly defined circumstances.

David Miliband: It is Government policy that teaching will remain an all-graduate profession. This policy applies to all types of provider of initial teacher training (ITT), including school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) providers.
	Around 25 per cent. of the ITT places allocated to teacher training providers are for undergraduate courses. No SCITT providers currently offer undergraduate ITT. There is however nothing in principle to prevent them from offering such courses providing they meet the standards for the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and requirements for the provision of ITT.
	Other non-graduate ITT may be offered through the Registered Teacher Programme. This is an employment based route to QTS whereby unqualified teachers are employed by schools, having completed two years of higher education and receive training for QTS while studying for the award of a degree. Provision is managed by a recommending body, which may be different to the school offering the training, and applications are considered on a case by case basis.

Teacher Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what policy she has to increase the opportunity for students on the school centred initial teacher training scheme to work with professionals outside their designated school.

David Miliband: The standards for the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and requirements for the provision of initial teacher training (ITT) are set out in the publication "Qualifying to Teach". These come into effect from 1 September 2002. The standards are the same no matter what route an individual trains under, and offer opportunity for trainees to gain experience in a variety of settings.
	The standards include the requirement that trainee teachers have experience in at least two schools and also that those awarded QTS must demonstrate that they understand the contribution that support staff and other professionals make to teaching and learning. Trainees may well work with a range of professionals, such as social workers, educational psychologists, education welfare officers and health professionals during their training in order to demonstrate that they have met the standards.

Teacher Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to strengthen the partnerships between schools and higher education institutions in the delivery of school centred initial teacher training.

David Miliband: Many schools and higher education institutions (HEIs) already have strong links in the provision of teacher training. Most school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) providers offer a Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) to their trainees, alongside the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), and these are validated by HEIs. Some HEIs are integral partners in SCITT consortia and several HEIs act as managing agents to the consortia.
	The Teacher Training Agency, which has responsibility for teacher training issues, is working with all providers to increase schools' capacity to deliver teacher training in partnership with ITT providers, including HEIs and schools.

Teacher Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to increase the funding of school centred initial teacher training.

David Miliband: The mainstream unit of funding for all providers of initial teacher training (ITT), including school-centred ITT (SCITT) providers, has increased by 3.5 per cent. each year for the past two academic years. This represents an increase in real terms over the past two years.
	SCITT providers are eligible for start-up funding of up to £30,000 over their first two years of operation and can also bid for capital funding of up to £20,000 a year to support the purchase of equipment, materials and to upgrade accommodation. The capital budget for SCITTs increased by over 10 per cent. between 2001–02 and 2002–03.

Teacher Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to improve (a) the administration and (b) the evaluation of school-centred initial teacher training.

David Miliband: The new inspection framework for monitoring the quality of initial teacher training (ITT) will come into effect from September 2002. The framework places increasing importance on the management, administration and quality assurance of training delivered by all ITT providers, including school-centred provision.
	Furthermore, the Teacher Training Agency (TTA), which has responsibility for teacher training matters, undertakes stringent risk analysis and auditing procedures of all SCITTs to ensure that they manage and administer their funding in line with best practice.

Teacher Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to improve the consistency of quality of training given under the school-centred initial teacher training scheme.

David Miliband: The quality of training delivered by all accredited providers of initial teacher training (ITT), including school-centred ITT, is inspected by Ofsted. The Teacher Training Agency (TTA) has responsibility for teacher training issues and, as part of its statutory function, it uses Ofsted evidence of the overall quality of provision to determine the allocation of teacher training places to providers.
	All providers are required to submit to Ofsted and the TTA an action plan setting out how they would implement inspection findings. The TTA and Ofsted work closely with the provider to implement the plan.

Teacher Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what additional support she will give to schools to help in the delivery of school-centred initial teacher training.

David Miliband: The Teacher Training Agency (TTA), which has responsibility for teacher training matters, offers a range of support to school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) providers. SCITTs are eligible for start-up funding over their first two years of operation and can also bid for capital funding to support the purchase of equipment, materials and to upgrade accommodation. The capital budget for SCITTs increased by over 10 per cent. between 2001–02 and 2002–03.
	The TTA also offers partnership funding to schools providing ITT, which can be used to provide training for school-based mentors and school staff. The Agency's work to promote school involvement in teacher training should help improve the quality of school-based placements.

Advanced Schools

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects to decide where the new advanced schools will be located; what the time scale will be for establishing these schools; and if she will make a statement.

David Miliband: We intend to establish a network of up to 300 advanced schools by 2006 and would want to see an initial group in operation from September 2003. Decisions about the location of these schools will be taken before next June. Advanced schools will be at the forefront of our drive to reform the education system and will provide opportunities for our best schools to lead the transformation of secondary education in their local areas.

Literacy Tests

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to his answer of 2 July 2002, Official Report, column 243W, what research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated to corroborate trends in the results of the Key Stage 2 literacy tests.

David Miliband: holding answer 12 July 2002
	The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has established an annual testing programme to provide data on pupils' attainment and progress in Years 3, 4 and 5. The data, collected and analysed by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NfER), augment those already available through the national curriculum tests at Year 2 and Year 6 and is reported in Ofsted's annual evaluation reports on the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. Ofsted's report on the third year of the National Literacy Strategy said that:
	"For Pupils in Year 4 and Year 5, the average age-standardised score was significantly higher in 2001 than 2000".
	The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto (OISE/UT) has also been commissioned to evaluate the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. They will publish their final report early next year.

Overseas Teachers

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her policy is on recruiting teachers for work in the UK from third world countries which are the aimed beneficiaries of the Education for All initiative.

David Miliband: The Government are committed to helping developing countries achieve the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education by 2015. We recognise that in many countries this will mean a major increase in the supply and retention of well- trained teachers. The Government do not directly recruit teachers, either here or abroad. Neither do we actively encourage recruitment by others from developing countries. But suitable teachers choosing to come and work in England for a time are welcome. Some are likely to return to their home countries, taking with them valuable experience of initiatives such as the numeracy and literacy strategies. We are committed to making the experience of those overseas teachers who do choose to work here as productive and developmental as possible, not least to maximise the benefits to their home countries. We have introduced a Quality Mark scheme, which will badge agencies that demonstrate, among other things, good practice in the recruitment and induction of overseas teachers. And we have established a new Recruitment and Retention Unit in the Government office for London which will support London LEAs in improving the experience of overseas-trained teachers.

Foreign Teachers

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many overseas-trained teachers were teaching in English schools in 2001–02; and how many of these (a) have been and (b) are on the training scheme to allow them to receive qualified teacher status.

David Miliband: Information on numbers of teachers with overseas qualifications is not available. In the 2001–02 academic year to date, 720 people have been awarded places on the special variant of the Graduate Teacher Programme that is available to overseas trained teachers who wish to gain Qualified Teacher Status.

Foreign Teachers

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many foreign teachers were working in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) St. Helens Metropolitan borough council area, (ii) Merseyside, (iii) the north-west and (iv) England in (A) 1997, (B) 1998, (C) 1999, (D) 2000 and (E) 2001.

David Miliband: The information is not collected centrally.

Literacy and Numeracy

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of 11-year-olds meet the standard of (a) literacy and (b) numeracy for that age.

David Miliband: The table shows the percentage of pupils who achieved level 4 or above in the Key Stage 2 tests in England in 2001.
	
		
			   Percentage of pupils achieving level 4 or above 
		
		
			 English 75 
			 Mathematics 71 
			 Science 87

Literacy and Numeracy

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of pupils aged 11 met the standard of literacy for that age on (a) 1 May 1997, (b) 31 December 1998, (c) 31 December 2001 and (d) the latest date for which information is available.

David Miliband: The available information is shown in the table. It shows the percentage of pupils who achieved level 4 or above in English in the Key Stage 2 tests in England since 1997. The tests were carried out in May each year.
	
		
			  English 
		
		
			 1997 63 
			 1998 65 
			 1999 71 
			 2000 75 
			 2001 75

Small Schools

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2002, Official Report, column 16W, on small schools, how much Small Schools Fund was allocated to each local education authority.

David Miliband: The following table shows the amount of Small Schools Fund allocated to each local education authority in 2001–02 through the Standards Fund. The figures include both Government grant and local authority contributions.
	
		2001–02 Standards Fund Allocations for the Small Schools Fund
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Barking 32,056 
			 Barnet 168,303 
			 Barnsley 288,519 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 376,676 
			 Bedfordshire 1,170,106 
			 Bexley 104,188 
			 Birmingham 913,645 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 240,433 
			 Blackpool 80,144 
			 Bolton 304,548 
			 Bournemouth 40,072 
			 Bracknell Forest 104,188 
			 Bradford 1,049,890 
			 Brighton and Hove 192,346 
			 Bromley 144,260 
			 Buckinghamshire 1,001,803 
			 Calderdale 384,692 
			 Cambridgeshire 937,688 
			 Camden 136,245 
			 Cheshire 1,346,424 
			 Cornwall 1,410,539 
			 Coventry 232,418 
			 Croydon 216,390 
			 Cumbria 1,907,433 
			 Darlington 128,231 
			 Derby City 304,548 
			 Derbyshire 1,907,433 
			 Devon 1,681,477 
			 Doncaster 304,548 
			 Dorset 937,888 
			 Dudley 144,260 
			 Durham 1,578,842 
			 Ealing 136,245 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 713,284 
			 East Sussex 721,298 
			 Enfield 88,159 
			 Essex 1,867,361 
			 Gateshead 328,591 
			 Gloucestershire 1,378,481 
			 Greenwich 216,390 
			 Hackney 136,245 
			 Halton 280,505 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 138,245 
			 Hampshire 1,739,130 
			 Haringey 136,245 
			 Harrow 58,101 
			 Hartlepool 96,173 
			 Havering 104,188 
			 Herefordshire 601,082 
			 Hertfordshire 1,851,332 
			 Hillingdon 160,289 
			 Hounslow 160,289 
			 Isle of Wight 408,736 
			 Isles of Scilly 40,072 
			 Islington 120,216 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 88,159 
			 Kent 2,087,722 
			 Kingston upon Hull 72,130 
			 Kingston upon Thames 200,361 
			 Kirklees 673,212 
			 Knowsley 152,274 
			 Lambeth 216,390 
			 Lancashire 2,708,876 
			 Leeds 657,183 
			 Leicestershire 1,065,919 
			 Lewisham 192,346 
			 Lincolnshire 1,867,361 
			 Liverpool 536,967 
			 Luton 188,303 
			 Manchester 424,765 
			 Medway 240,433 
			 Merton 168,303 
			 Milton Keynes 384,692 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 328,591 
			 Newham 112,202 
			 Norfolk 2,179,924 
			 North East Lincolnshire 160,289 
			 North Lincolnshire 336,806 
			 North Somerset 264,476 
			 North Tyneside 232,418 
			 North Yorkshire 1,975,837 
			 Northamptonshire 1,538,770 
			 Northumberland 1,306,351 
			 Nottingham City 448,808 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,498,698 
			 Oldham 280,505 
			 Oxfordshire 1,546,784 
			 Peterborough 160,289 
			 Plymouth 165,278 
			 Poole 48,087 
			 Portsmouth 160,289 
			 Reading 176,317 
			 Redbridge 72,130 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 168,303 
			 Richmond upon Thames 96,173 
			 Rochdale 256,462 
			 Rotherham 440,793 
			 Rutland 120,216 
			 Salford 384,692 
			 Sandwell 256,462 
			 Sefton 328,591 
			 Sheffield 416,750 
			 Shropshire 857,544 
			 Slough 128,231 
			 Solihull 136,245 
			 Somerset 1,370,467 
			 South Gloucestershire 320,577 
			 South Tyneside 224,404 
			 Southampton 248,447 
			 Southend-on-Sea 88,159 
			 Southwark 208,375 
			 St. Helens 200,361 
			 Staffordshire 1,610,900 
			 Stockport 330,000 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 192,346 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 336,606 
			 Suffolk 1,739,130 
			 Sunderland 320,577 
			 Surrey 1,474,654 
			 Sutton 88,159 
			 Swindon 240,433 
			 Tameside 264,476 
			 Telford and the Wrekin 280,505 
			 Thurrock 104,188 
			 Torbay 104,188 
			 Tower Hamlets 200,361 
			 Trafford 224,404 
			 Wakefield 536,967 
			 Walsall 232,418 
			 Waltham Forest 168,303 
			 Wandsworth 192,348 
			 Warrington 232,418 
			 Warwickshire 1,081,948 
			 West Berkshire 384,692 
			 West Sussex 1,081,948 
			 Westminster 180,289 
			 Wigan 388,664 
			 Wiltshire 1,282,306 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 352,635 
			 Wirral 280,505 
			 Wokingham 208,375 
			 Wolverhampton 288,519 
			 Worcestershire 1,274,294 
			 York 264,478 
			  
			 Total 78,278,023

Golden Hello

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for what reasons RE has not been included in the Golden Hello scheme.

David Miliband: Golden Hellos are available for the five secondary shortage subjects in which the Government aim to recruit the most trainee teachers each year and in which demand for teachers is greatest.

Free School Meals

Iain Coleman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of school children are entitled to free school meals in each (a) Government office region and (b) local education authority.

David Miliband: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Maintained nursery, primary, secondary and all special schools: -- School meal arrangements as at January 2001, by local education authority
		
			  Percentage of day pupils(18) known to be eligible for free school meals  
			  Nursery and primary schools(19) Secondary schools(19) Special schools 
		
		
			 England 17.6 15.8 38.6 
			 
			 North East 24.0 21.1 50.9 
			 Darlington 17.3 15.8 48.9 
			 Durham 19.8 17.9 57.1 
			 Gateshead 24.1 21.6 46.2 
			 Hartlepool 25.2 25.8 41.4 
			 Middlesbrough 29.1 35.8 60.9 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 34.4 25.3 67.1 
			 North Tyneside 21.0 17.6 33.5 
			 Northumberland 14.3 12.1 41.4 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 23.7 22.8 36.9 
			 South Tyneside 28.8 24.1 55.9 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 20.1 20.0 61.4 
			 Sunderland 31.4 30.0 47.9 
			 
			 North West 21.7 20.3 46.4 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 25.2 26.0 42.8 
			 Blackpool 25.8 22.0 44.3 
			 Bolton 17.8 15.5 37.7 
			 Bury 14.6 15.0 25.4 
			 Cheshire 11.9 10.0 35.6 
			 Cumbria 14.5 12.4 40.5 
			 Halton 26.6 24.0 47.3 
			 Knowsley 37.0 45.0 62.9 
			 Lancashire 16.1 14.9 46.0 
			 Liverpool 37.2 36.0 61.1 
			 Manchester 42.7 43.8 56.7 
			 Oldham 23.3 21.9 47.1 
			 Rochdale 23.5 25.2 51.5 
			 Salford 30.3 25.6 33.6 
			 Sefton 19.3 19.8 41.4 
			 St. Helens 20.5 19.2 46.9 
			 Stockport 13.1 14.0 32.5 
			 Tameside 19.3 20.1 41.9 
			 Trafford 14.6 15.4 32.3 
			 Warrington 11.2 10.1 32.2 
			 Wigan 16.3 14.7 46.1 
			 Wirral 29.7 26.7 51.9 
			 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 18.3 17.2 41.3 
			 Barnsley 21.8 24.7 49.7 
			 Bradford 22.1 26.8 42.9 
			 Calderdale 17.7 16.6 36.7 
			 Doncaster 20.3 17.9 44.1 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 10.3 8.6 36.9 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 25.9 27.0 43.5 
			 Kirklees 18.7 18.0 50.3 
			 Leeds 19.1 18.0 35.6 
			 North East Lincolnshire 23.6 20.6 51.2 
			 North Lincolnshire 15.3 13.5 38.7 
			 North Yorkshire 8.9 6.4 26.5 
			 Rotherham 19.6 15.8 44.6 
			 Sheffield 21.5 20.0 47.6 
			 Wakefield 17.5 17.0 40.5 
			 York 11.1 8.9 32.0 
			 
			 East Midlands 13.6 12.6 35.6 
			 Derby 20.3 20.2 35.6 
			 Derbyshire 12.8 10.7 38.0 
			 Leicester 23.9 22.3 38.0 
			 Leicestershire 7.8 6.9 47.4 
			 Lincolnshire 6.6 8.4 31.5 
			 Northamptonshire 9.9 10.7 29.8 
			 Nottingham 32.3 37.2 44.0 
			 Nottinghamshire 13.4 12.7 34.4 
			 Rutland 5.0 5.0 3.0 
			 
			 West Midlands 19.1 17.4 38.9 
			 Birmingham 32.8 33.2 43.6 
			 Coventry 19.3 20.1 43.0 
			 Dudley 14.3 15.0 38.9 
			 Herefordshire 8.1 7.9 17.4 
			 Sandwell 23.5 24.3 47.6 
			 Shropshire 10.2 8.1 25.0 
			 Solihull 12.6 12.0 33.2 
			 Staffordshire 12.1 9.2 36.6 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 28.5 24.3 50.3 
			 Telford and Wrekin 20.4 20.0 36.3 
			 Walsall 18.0 17.2 46.4 
			 Warwickshire 10.3 7.6 25.0 
			 Wolverhampton 22.3 22.4 45.3 
			 Worcestershire 9.0 10.3 32.6 
			 
			 East of England 12.4 10.5 28.6 
			 Bedfordshire 11.1 10.1 29.3 
			 Cambridgeshire 9.5 7.8 22.0 
			 Essex 11.7 10.0 29.9 
			 Hertfordshire 9.1 7.4 25.9 
			 Luton 21.3 26.9 38.2 
			 Norfolk 14.3 10.7 30.2 
			 Peterborough 22.0 17.5 36.6 
			 Southend-on-Sea 19.2 13.1 35.1 
			 Suffolk 11.9 10.5 27.7 
			 Thurrock 15.3 15.3 26.5 
			 London 25.9 25.8 45.7 
			 Inner London 38.2 42.1 53.7 
			 Camden 42.3 28.9 39.5 
			 City of London 33.8 0.0 0.0 
			 Hackney 39.6 44.4 59.1 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 43.2 33.1 54.5 
			 Haringey 36.9 40.2 52.6 
			 Islington 41.3 45.6 55.8 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 38.2 31.8 7.0 
			 Lambeth 37.7 41.7 66.2 
			 Lewisham 32.7 39.6 57.2 
			 Newham 34.2 44.9 26.5 
			 Southwark 35.9 52.8 49.6 
			 Tower Hamlets 54.3 65.1 78.3 
			 Wandsworth 28.9 26.8 48.2 
			 Westminster 36.8 32.9 51.7 
			 
			 Outer London 18.9 18.3 40.4 
			 Barking and Dagenham 23.2 26.0 34.8 
			 Barnet 17.0 15.7 38.1 
			 Bexley 14.0 12.7 37.5 
			 Brent 26.9 24.5 43.3 
			 Bromley 13.9 11.8 34.4 
			 Croydon 20.9 19.4 43.0 
			 Ealing 24.0 31.2 47.6 
			 Enfield 22.1 20.3 39.5 
			 Greenwich 35.5 33.6 59.5 
			 Harrow 12.0 17.5 32.0 
			 Havering 11.9 11.1 30.9 
			 Hillingdon 14.0 14.8 38.0 
			 Hounslow 22.0 19.7 45.3 
			 Kingston upon Thames 6.9 9.1 22.4 
			 Merton 15.1 16.3 30.6 
			 Redbridge 15.8 15.2 34.5 
			 Richmond upon Thames 10.5 15.7 30.3 
			 Sutton 12.3 7.8 42.7 
			 Waltham Forest 26.6 29.9 44.8 
			 
			 South East 10.8 9.1 29.4 
			 Bracknell Forest 6.9 4.8 18.6 
			 Brighton and Hove 18.6 17.6 36.0 
			 Buckinghamshire 5.6 6.7 36.5 
			 East Sussex 14.7 13.1 35.4 
			 Hampshire 9.0 6.6 22.7 
			 Isle of Wight 18.8 16.7 36.2 
			 Kent 13.1 9.8 33.9 
			 Medway 12.9 9.8 29.8 
			 Milton Keynes 13.2 11.9 45.7 
			 Oxfordshire 9.1 9.5 22.6 
			 Portsmouth 17.1 16.1 34.6 
			 Reading 14.9 13.1 29.0 
			 Slough 15.6 15.5 35.0 
			 Southampton 22.7 17.2 38.3 
			 Surrey 7.4 6.1 20.7 
			 West Berkshire 6.4 4.7 21.1 
			 West Sussex 7.6 6.9 24.7 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 6.6 5.6 40.2 
			 Wokingham 3.8 4.7 35.6 
			 
			 South West 12.0 9.7 30.3 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 10.5 7.9 25.2 
			 Bournemouth 9.8 10.7 37.4 
			 Bristol, City of 22.6 20.5 40.6 
			 Cornwall 13.1 12.2 29.1 
			 Devon 12.4 10.2 26.3 
			 Dorset 4.6 6.2 19.9 
			 Gloucestershire 9.7 7.0 26.0 
			 Isles of Scilly 6.4 6.3 0.0 
			 North Somerset 10.0 7.8 33.7 
			 Plymouth 20.7 14.0 38.8 
			 Poole 6.2 7.2 25.7 
			 Somerset 10.7 9.0 28.2 
			 South Gloucestershire 8.2 7.5 25.7 
			 Swindon 12.5 9.4 35.0 
			 Torbay 19.4 13.9 30.4 
			 Wiltshire 8.8 6.5 27.9 
		
	
	(18) Excludes boarders
	(19) Includes middle schools as deemed
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census

Annual School Census

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what personal information the annual school census collects.

David Miliband: The Pupil Level Annual Schools Census (PLASC) was introduced for all maintained primary, secondary and special schools and City Technology Colleges in January 2002. The following information was collected for each pupil on the school's register on the Census day:
	Unique pupil number (UPN)
	Full name
	Date of birth
	Gender
	Home postcode
	Date of entry
	National Curriculum year
	Enrolment status
	Courses of study (for post-16 pupils only). and the following information for each pupil permanently excluded from the school during the previous school year:
	UPN
	Full name
	Date of birth
	Gender
	Date of exclusion
	Ethnic group
	Stage on SEN Code of Practice scale (at the time of exclusion).
	From January 2003 information will also be collected on whether or not registered pupils are in local authority care on the Census day, and whether they have been in care at any time since joining that school.

Annual School Census

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what safeguards there will be in the school census following the inclusion in the list of children in care.

David Miliband: The Pupil Level Annual Schools Census (PLASC), which was introduced for all maintained primary, secondary and special schools and City Technology Colleges in January 2002, will from January 2003 also collect details of whether or not pupils are in local authority care on the Census day, and whether they have been in care at any time since joining that school.
	Information about the safeguards in place to ensure that there is no unauthorised access to PLASC data was provided in the answers to previous questions from the hon. Member on 18 March 2002, Official Report, column 112W and on 10 April 2002, Official Report, columns 115–16W. All of these safeguards will continue to apply, and to be kept under review in the light of advice from the Information Commissioner and other developments.

English Language

Iain Coleman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of children speak English as an additional language in each (a) Government office region and (b) local education authority.

David Miliband: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Maintained Primary and Secondary schools: Number of pupils for whom English is an additional language by local education authority—January 2001
		
			   Percentage of pupils for whom English is an additional language(20)  
			  Primary schools Secondary schools 
		
		
			 England 9.3 8.0 
			
			 North East 2.5 1.8 
			 Darlington 1.8 1.4 
			 Durham 1.0 0.5 
			 Gateshead 1.5 1.0 
			 Hartlepool 0.8 0.5 
			 Middlesbrough 6.8 6.3 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 9.6 7.2 
			 North Tyneside 1.3 1.3 
			 Northumberland 0.7 0.4 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 1.1 1.0 
			 South Tyneside 1.7 1.5 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 2.4 1.7 
			 Sunderland 1.9 1.1 
			
			 North West 6.0 4.8 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 29.3 23.2 
			 Blackpool 0.8 0.9 
			 Bolton 12.4 10.1 
			 Bury 7.1 6.8 
			 Cheshire 0.8 0.7 
			 Cumbria 0.3 0.5 
			 Halton 0.3 0.2 
			 Knowsley 0.3 0.2 
			 Lancashire 6.8 5.9 
			 Liverpool 3.5 2.4 
			 Manchester 18.7 16.8 
			 Oldham 20.5 15.4 
			 Rochdale 15.8 15.4 
			 Salford 2.4 1.4 
			 Sefton 0.7 0.5 
			 St. Helens 0.5 0.2 
			 Stockport 3.1 2.3 
			 Tameside 5.5 5.5 
			 Trafford 7.6 6. 
			 Warrington 1.3 1.2 
			 Wigan 0.6 0.3 
			 Wirral 0.7 0.6 
			
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 7.8 6.8 
			 Barnsley 0.4 0.1 
			 Bradford 30.0 29.4 
			 Calderdale 8.2 8.5 
			 Doncaster 1.6 1.3 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 0.6 0.3 
			 Kington Upon Hull, City of 1.5 0.8 
			 Kirklees 18.0 14.8 
			 Leeds 8.3 7.4 
			 North East Lincolnshire 0.7 0.6 
			 North Lincolnshire 2.7 1.8 
			 North Yorkshire 0.6 0.5 
			 Rotherham 4.4 3.7 
			 Sheffield 9.5 7.1 
			 Wakefield 2.2 1.8 
			 York 1.5 1.0 
			
			 East Midlands 5.8 5.5 
			 Derby 11.5 11.1 
			 Derbyshire 0.5 0.5 
			 Leicester 38.4 39.3 
			 Leicestershire 5.1 6.4 
			 Lincolnshire 0.7 0.8 
			 Northamptonshire 2.8 3.5 
			 Nottingham 11.1 8.9 
			 Nottinghamshire 1.4 1.4 
			 Rutland 0.7 0.6 
			
			 West Midlands 11.6 10.5 
			 Birmingham 30.8 28.9 
			 Coventry 14.5 14.4 
			 Dudley 6.3 5.8 
			 Herefordshire 0.5 0.6 
			 Sandwell 18.2 19.2 
			 Shropshire 0.6 0.7 
			 Solihull 3.2 2.5 
			 Staffordshire 1.8 1.6 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 6.8 6.1 
			 Telford and Wrekin 3.9 3.9 
			 Walsall 14.2 13.0 
			 Warwickshire 3.7 3.8 
			 Wolverhampton 15.6 18.4 
			 Worcestershire 2.2 2.2 
			
			 East of England 4.3 3.9 
			 Bedfordshire 6.5 5.6 
			 Cambridgeshire 3.0 2.4 
			 Essex 1.6 1.7 
			 Hertfordshire 5.2 5.0 
			 Luton 28.2 29.7 
			 Norfolk 1.0 0.6 
			 Peterborough 14.4 13.1 
			 Southend-on-Sea 4.5 2.9 
			 Suffolk 1.2 0.8 
			 Thurrock 3.1 2.4 
			
			 London 31.8 29.2 
			 Inner London 46.0 42.3 
			 Camden 46.6 31.8 
			 City of London 48.0 0.0 
			 Hackney 54.4 50.9 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 36.1 31.6 
			 Haringey 49.3 43.1 
			 Islington 34.1 40.0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 39.7 37.5 
			 Lambeth 41.7 35.6 
			 Lewisham 28.6 24.2 
			 Newham 60.2 53.4 
			 Southwark 38.7 43.4 
			 Tower Hamlets 66.5 62.0 
			 Wandsworth 31.2 30.0 
			 Westminster 60.0 48.7 
			
			 Outer London 24.0 23.3 
			 Barking and Dagenham 9.9 9.4 
			 Barnet 31.0 27.2 
			 Bexley 6.6 6.2 
			 Brent 51.4 57.9 
			 Bromley 3.9 4.3 
			 Croydon 16.4 16.6 
			 Ealing 44.8 46.1 
			 Enfield 29.3 25.0 
			 Greenwich 20.7 19.7 
			 Harrow 38.9 38.8 
			 Havering 2.1 1.8 
			 Hillingdon 19.2 18.0 
			 Hounslow 39.4 44.9 
			 Kingston upon Thames 16.0 14.7 
			 Merton 23.6 16.6 
			 Redbridge 40.2 42.4 
			 Richmond upon Thames 9.2 8.3 
			 Sutton 7.0 7.9 
			 Waltham Forest 32.5 31.1 
			
			 South East 4.1 3.8 
			 Bracknell Forest 2.9 1.7 
			 Brighton and Hove 3.9 2.8 
			 Buckinghamshire 8.7 7.1 
			 East Sussex 1.5 1.2 
			 Hampshire 1.2 1.0 
			 Isle of Wight 0.7 0.5 
			 Kent 2.5 2.4 
			 Medway 3.7 3.2 
			 Milton Keynes 6.3 6.5 
			 Oxfordshire 3.9 4.8 
			 Portsmouth 4.0 3.6 
			 Reading 10.7 9.5 
			 Slough 36.3 35.0 
			 Southampton 7.5 6.7 
			 Surrey 3.9 3.7 
			 West Berkshire 1.4 1.0 
			 West Sussex 3.1 2.5 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 9.5 10.6 
			 Wokingham 3.7 5.2 
			
			 South West 1.4 1.0 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 1.3 0.9 
			 Bournemouth 2.9 1.0 
			 Bristol, City of 5.6 4.7 
			 Cornwall 0.4 0.3 
			 Devon 0.7 0.4 
			 Dorset 0.6 0.4 
			 Gloucestershire 1.5 1.4 
			 Isles of Scilly (21)— (21)— 
			 North Somerset 0.7 0.7 
			 Plymouth 1.2 0.9 
			 Poole 1.1 0.2 
			 Somerset 0.5 0.4 
			 South Gloucestershire 1.1 1.1 
			 Swindon 3.1 2.7 
			 Torbay 0.7 0.7 
			 Wiltshire 0.7 0.9 
		
	
	(20) The number of pupils for whom English is an additional language expressed as a percentage of the number of pupils of compulsory school age.
	(21) Less than 5 pupils

School IT Equipment

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps are being taken to ensure that teachers who take home school/LEA IT equipment for their work do not have to insure such equipment with their own private home and contents policies.

David Miliband: The Government have no plans to legislate on the insurance of IT equipment owned by schools or LEAs. In cases where there is an understanding that a teacher uses such equipment at home for professional purposes, we would not expect him or her to have to cover loss or accidental damage to the equipment while at home or travelling to and from work.

Disabled School Governors

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proposals she has to improve opportunities for disabled school governors to fulfil their role; and if she will make a statement.

David Miliband: Steps the Department has already taken to assist disabled governors include offering the Guide to the Law for School Governors in Braille and making the governors' induction training package available through distance learning.
	School Governing Bodies can, under the Education (Governors' Allowances) Regulations 1999, create schemes to meet expenses from the school budget. These schemes may include the cost of transport for disabled governors to and from meetings. In revised guidance to be issued following the Education Bill, we shall encourage all governing bodies to make schemes and to ensure that disabled governors can claim all expenses they incur.
	The Disability Discrimination (Amendment) Bill's provision for reasonable adjustments to premises to allow access for disabled people, should help for physically disabled governors.

EU Committees (Scottish Representation)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the EU Advisory Committee on the training of chemists is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement.

John Hutton: I have been asked to reply.
	The Advisory Committees on midwifery, medical, dental, nursing and pharmaceutical training were set up to advise the European Commission and member states on matters relating to the training of workers whose professions come under sectoral directives guaranteeing free movement and automatic recognition of qualifications.
	Each Advisory Committee has three members from each member state—one each from the practising profession, the education establishments and the competent authorities concerned. Three alternates are appointed on the same basis. Some of the United Kingdom's members and alternates of the Advisory Committees are Scottish, but the membership is there to represent the interests of all four UK countries.
	The Advisory Committees have not met during the last 12 months, and are not likely to do so again.

ADVOCATE-GENERAL

Staff Training

John Bercow: To ask the Advocate-General how much the Department has spent on staff training and development in each of the last five years.

Lynda Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

Departmental Expenditure Limit

John Bercow: To ask the Advocate-General how much and what proportion of the departmental expenditure limit for 2002–03 will be accounted for by staff costs; what the figures were for 2001–02; and if she will make a statement.

Lynda Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

Advertising Campaigns

John Bercow: To ask the Advocate-General how much was spent on press and advertising campaigns in 2001–02; and what the planned expenditure is for 2002–03.

Lynda Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, at column 381w.

Ministerial Salaries

John Bercow: To ask the Advocate-General what the annual cost was of ministerial salaries in her Department in (a) 1997–98 and (b) 2001–02.

Lynda Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, at column 382W.

Statutory Instruments

John Bercow: To ask the Advocate-General how many statutory instruments have been (a) introduced, (b) removed and (c) amended by her Department since 1 January; and what the (i) cost and (ii) saving has been in each case.

Lynda Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland at column 383W.

Annual Leave

John Bercow: To ask the Advocate-General what the average annual leave entitlement is for staff in her Department in 2002.

Lynda Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, at column 382W.

Buildings Insurance

John Bercow: To ask the Advocate-General what the cost of buildings insurance to her Department was (a) before and (b) after 11 September 2001.

Lynda Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, at column 383W.

Public Consultations

John Bercow: To ask the Advocate-General if she will list the public consultations undertaken by her Department since 8 June 2001, indicating the (a) length and (b) number of responses received in each case.

Lynda Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, at columns 383–84W.

Staff Party

John Bercow: To ask the Advocate-General what the cost was of the Department's 2001 staff Christmas Party; and how many people attended.

Lynda Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, at column 382W.

Comprehensive Spending Review

John Bercow: To ask the Advocate-General how many staff have contributed to her Department's input to the Spending Review.

Lynda Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, at column 383W.

SCOTLAND

Advertising Campaigns

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was spent on press and advertising campaigns in 2001–02; and what the planned expenditure is for 2002–03.

Helen Liddell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 April 2002, Official Report, column 68W.
	The information requested on planned expenditure on press and advertising campaigns in 2002–03 is not yet available.

Staff Training

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much the Department has spent on staff training and development in each of the last five years.

Helen Liddell: The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999.
	Since then my Department has spent £10,486 in 1999–2000, £21,364 in 2000–01 and £10,058 in 2001–02. My staff also has access to a comprehensive range of training and development opportunities through the Scottish Executive for which there is no charge to my Department.

Departmental Expenditure Limit

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much and what proportion of the Departmental Expenditure Limit for 2002–03 will be accounted for by staff costs; what the figures were for 2001–02; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Liddell: The Scotland Office Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) for 2001–02 was £7.236 million, of which approximately 51 per cent. was for staff costs. Information on what proportion of the DEL for 2002–03 will be accounted for by staff costs is not yet available.

Ministerial Salaries

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the annual cost was of ministerial salaries in her Department in (a) 1997–98 and (b) 2001–02.

Helen Liddell: The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999.
	The level of ministerial salaries are recommended by the Senior Salaries Review Body. From June 2001, in my Department there was one Cabinet Minister, at an annual salary of £68,157; and one Minister of State, at a salary of £35,356. The Department also provides administrative support services to the Advocate-General for Scotland, who had an annual salary of £59,386.

Staff Party

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the cost was of the Department's 2001 staff Christmas Party; and how many people attended.

Helen Liddell: My Department did not hold a Christmas Party for staff in 2001.

EU Directives

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list the EU directives relating to her Department which have been (a) amended and (b) repealed in 2002.

Helen Liddell: No EU directives relating to my Department have been amended or repealed in 2002.

EU Directives

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list the EU directives and regulations that have been implemented through her Department in 2002; and what was the cost of each to public funds.

Helen Liddell: No EU directives or regulations have been implemented through my Department in 2002.

Annual Leave

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the average annual leave entitlement is for staff in her Department in 2002.

Helen Liddell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 February 2002, Official Report, column 629W.

Statutory Instruments

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many statutory instruments have been (a) introduced, (b) removed and (c) amended by her Department since 1 January; and what the (i) cost and (ii) saving has been in each case.

Helen Liddell: My Department has originated or made five statutory instruments since 1 January 2002. They are:
	1. SI 2002/261—The Scotland Act 1998 (Agency Arr angements) (Specification) Order 2002;
	2. SI 2002/653—The Scottish Water (Transfer of Functions, etc.) (Tax Provisions) Order 2002;
	3. SI 2002/800—The Scotland Act 1998 (Agency Arrangements) (Specification) (No. 2) Order 2002;
	4. SI 2002/801—The Scottish Administration (Offices) Order 2002;
	5. SI 2002/1264—The Water Industry (Scotland) Act 2002 (Directions in the Interest of National Security) Order 2002.
	An Article in the third statutory instrument in the above list revoked the Scotland Act 1998 (Agency Arrangements) (Specification) Order 2001 (SI 2001/3917). No other statutory instruments have been revoked by my Department since 1 January 2002.
	No statutory instruments have been amended by my Department since 1 January 2002.
	There are no separately identifiable costs or savings for the statutory instruments above, but I expect them to be minimal in each case.

Buildings Insurance

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the cost of buildings insurance to her Department was (a) before and (b) after 11 September 2001.

Helen Liddell: Departments are required to comply with the Government's general policy on insurance, which is set out in "Government Accounting", chapter 30, paragraph 30.2.5, which notes that Government does not need to purchase insurance to protect the viability of its business, and should consider insurance only where the value of claims met would exceed the cost of insurance premiums. Commercial insurance of a building is acceptable in cases where (a) insurance is a condition of a lease (b) the lessor will not accept a Government indemnity (c) incurring the total cost of the accommodation in question, including the cost of the insurance, is more cost- effective than other accommodation options ("Government Accounting", paragraph 30.2.11a).
	My Department has not purchased any buildings insurance.

Comprehensive Spending Review

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff have contributed to her Department's input to the spending review.

Helen Liddell: A range of staff in my Department have contributed to spending review issues as part of their normal duties.

Public Consultations

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list the public consultations undertaken by her Department since 8 June 2001, indicating the (a) length and (b) number of responses received in each case.

Helen Liddell: My Department has undertaken one public consultation exercise since 8 June 2001; the consultation paper on the size of the Scottish Parliament on 18 December 2001, which required responses by 29 March 2002. A total of 237 responses were received.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Arms Trade

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has had from BAE Systems regarding unlicensed production of G3 rifles and MP5 submachine guns by the Defence Industries Organisation in Iran.

Mike O'Brien: We are aware of no representations from BAE systems in this regard. We are not aware of any such unlicensed production of the weapons in question.

Consular Services

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to improve the services offered by consular staff to UK nationals.

Mike O'Brien: We continually seek ways to improve the consular services offered to British nationals who get into difficulties overseas. Recent initiatives include the Know Before You Go campaign which encourages British travellers to make better preparations before they go overseas, producing guidelines on forced marriage for the police and improving our travel advice by including travellers tips for gay travellers.

Arms Exports

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what additional safeguards his proposed changes to guidelines on UK arms exports will give to the terms of the Export Control Bill.

Mike O'Brien: The factors which my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary announced on 8 July 2002, Official Report, columns 650–52W, were an elaboration of the Consolidated Criteria.
	The Government's proposed Export Control Bill imposes a requirement on the Government to issue guidance about the general principles to be followed when exercising licensing powers, requires that this guidance must address certain issues and provides that the Consolidated Criteria shall be treated as such guidance under the Bill.

Arms Exports

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether exports licensed under the new criteria on arms export components will be highlighted as such on the annual reports on strategic exports; and whether information as to end-use and ultimate destination of the finished products will be provided in these reports.

Mike O'Brien: HMG is committed to openness and accountability in arms exports. Our annual reports on strategic export controls are among the most detailed such reports produced by any arms exporting country. The reports will continue to provide details of all export licences approved and refused, as at present.
	However, export licences approved or refused on the basis of the factors outlined by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary in response to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood (Paddy Tipping), on 8 July 2002, Official Report, column 650–52W, will not be highlighted as such in the annual reports. Nor does the Government intend to provide in the reports information as to end-use and ultimate destination of finished products produced overseas incorporating UK components. Commercial confidentiality means that we usually cannot reveal such information. And in some cases, when taken with other parts of the Report, this information might reveal details of the recipient country's defence strategy. It would not be practicable to reveal this information selectively in the reports.

Departmental Travel

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements are made to ensure that his Department's staff travel by British carriers; and on what ground his Department's staff, Embassy employees, and associated staff use non-UK carriers.

Mike O'Brien: Our policy is to use airlines that provide the best value for money in terms of costs, safety and service on the routes served.

Sanctions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries are subject to (a) political, (b) diplomatic, (c) trade and (d) economic sanctions and arms embargoes by the UK in consequence of their policies on (a) human rights and (b) their minority ethnic and religious groups.

Denis MacShane: Details of sanctions regimes, arms embargoes and restrictions on export of strategic goods by country and region can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at the following address: http://fco.gov.uk/sanctions. The website currently lists 42 countries for which such measures have been implemented by the UN, EU, OSCE and UK.
	The EU ban on the sale of defence equipment to China was one of a number of measures put in place following human rights abuses and the suppression of pro- democracy activists in Tiananmen Square in 1989. EU measures applied to Burma, Zimbabwe and those taken against Milosevic and those associated with him were all also imposed, at least in part, as a result of human rights abuses.

Sanctions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what political, diplomatic, trade and economic sanctions the Government have had in place against the Government of the People's Republic of China since May 1997 in consequence of its policies on human rights, with particular reference to (a) Tibet and (b) its minority ethnic and religious groups.

Denis MacShane: An EU arms embargo has been in force against China since the suppression of pro- democracy activists in Tiananmen square in 1989.

Tibet

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent efforts have been made by Her Majesty's Government to ascertain the whereabouts and welfare of the Panchen Lama of Tibet; and what response they have received from the Government of the People's Republic of China.

Denis MacShane: We raised the case of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima most recently at the UK/China Human Rights Dialogue in Beijing on 15 May. The Chinese responded that he was in good health and leading a "normal and happy life" with his parents, who did not want him exposed to international attention.

Cyprus

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with the Turkish Government on the increased deployment of Turkish troops in the occupied area of Northern Cyprus;
	(2)  how many Turkish troops are stationed in the occupied area of Northern Cyprus.

Peter Hain: The 1960 Treaty of Alliance allows for there to be 950 Greek troops and 650 Turkish troops on Cyprus. The actual numbers of Greek and Turkish national forces on the island are a matter of dispute between the various parties concerned. No authoritative figures are available.

Pakistan

Andy King: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Pakistani Government concerning violent attacks perpetrated upon Christian women by Muslim extremists.

Mike O'Brien: We and our EU partners regularly raise our human rights concerns, including those of Christians and women's rights issues, with the Pakistani authorities. We are concerned by reports of violent attacks perpetrated upon Christian women by Muslim extremists. If the reports are substantiated, we look to the appropriate authorities in Pakistan to ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly brought to justice. We continue to monitor closely the position of religious minorities in Pakistan including women's human rights, and will continue to remain engaged with the Pakistani authorities.

Pakistan

Andy King: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Pakistani Government concerning the whereabouts of Naira Nadia.

Mike O'Brien: Together with our EU partners, we have raised our human rights concerns at regular intervals with the Pakistani authorities, citing specific cases. We raised Naira Nadia's case with the EU on 10 April and on 14 June the Spanish presidency underlined our concern to the Pakistani authorities about various cases including that of Naira Nadia.

Pakistan

Andy King: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he will make to the Pakistani Government concerning the treatment of Shakeela Siddique by the authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: I have asked our High Commission in Islamabad to ensure Shakeela Siddique's case is raised with the Pakistani authorities and further information sought about the circumstances of the case. We express concern where appropriate about human rights issues in Pakistan.

EU Staff

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of existing staff it is envisaged will apply for special severance payment offers at the time of enlargement in the (a) Commission, (b) Council of Ministers, (c) European Parliament, (d) European Court of Justice and (e) Court of First Instance.

Peter Hain: We have no information on what individual members of staff of the EU institutions might do in the wake of concluding enlargement negotiations.

International Terrorist Organisations

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if it is his policy for the United Nations proscribed list of international terrorist organisations to be applied uniformly to all domestic terrorist organisations.

Mike O'Brien: No. The United Nations Sanctions committee has, with active UK participation, named and frozen the assets of a number of suspected terrorists and terrorist organisations, under the terms of Security Council resolutions 1267, 1333 and 1390. However, these resolutions provide authority to name and freeze only those which have suspected links to al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden or the Taliban. None of the domestic terrorists organisations proscribed under the Terrorism Act (2000) have such links.

Turkey

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Turkish Government on their policy on human rights in Turkey; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: On 19–20 June, a senior official from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office led a UK delegation at the first formal UK/Turkey Human Rights Dialogue, in Ankara. There was a frank and constructive discussion of the human rights situation in Turkey, the measures recently taken to improve it and what remains to be done. As a candidate for EU membership, Turkey must comply with the Copenhagen political criteria. Guaranteeing the rights of all individuals is one of Turkey's priorities for reform; we and EU partners encourage them in their efforts. The European Commission will publish their regular progress report on Turkey in October.

Bush Meat

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what briefings his Department's environmental attachés in countries in Central and West Africa have received on the bush meat trade.

Denis MacShane: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has kept posts responsible for the six African states that are members of the CITES Bushmeat Working Group informed about its progress. Posts were asked to emphasise the group's importance to their host government. In February FCO sent a telegram to around 80 posts (including in West and Central Africa) highlighting the major issues, such as bush meat, of the forthcoming CITES Conference of the Parties. Many posts took this opportunity to discover the extent to which bush meat trade was a problem in their host country.
	The FCO briefed posts in all 23 African and Asian great ape range states, and also in potential donor states, about the UK's financial support of £175,000 to UNEP's Great Ape Survival Project (GrASP). The FCO contributed £75,000 to the UK's donation and I plan to make an announcement of further funding soon. Posts were also informed about GrASP's aims and asked to provide logistical and political support to the GrASP technical team which is led by Ian Redmond and the UK NGO Born Free. Posts that have provided support so far include those in Kinshasa, Yaounde, Abidjan, Kuala Lumpa, Kigali, Kampala, Dakar, and Jakarta. UNEP Executive- Director Klaus Topfer has paid tribute to the support that UK Missions overseas have given, saying that
	"the personal commitment they have shown is very encouraging for our GrASP team."
	DEFRA and the FCO have used UK diplomatic missions in Harare, Accra, Cairo, Pretoria, Kampala, Abidjan, Maseru, Dakar, Luanda, Nairobi, Kigali, Mbabane and Tunis to raise the profile of UK import restrictions and rules on meat and animal products.

Kurdish Prisoners (Iraq)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what information his Department sought from the Government of Iraq and its representatives abroad concerning the (a) location of, (b) condition of and (c) justification for the retention of Kurdish prisoners in Iraq since April 1980; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department has taken since 3 April 1991 to gain information on Kurdish prisoners in Iraq; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what his Department's strategy is to secure the release of Kurdish prisoners in Iraq; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what diplomatic steps his Department has taken since 1 May 1997 to ensure the release of Kurdish prisoners in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The UK does not have any diplomatic relations with the Government of Iraq. However, we are deeply concerned about reports, such as those documented by Andreas Mavrommatis, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iraq, of the maltreatment of prisoners by the Iraqi regime. We remain committed to doing what we can to bring about improvements in the human rights situation in Iraq, including the treatment of political opponents to the regime, and take every opportunity to raise this issue in international fora.

Kurdish Prisoners (Iraq)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what communications his Department had with the Government of Iraq and its representatives abroad between April 1980 and 2 August 1990 concerning Kurdish prisoners in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: This question could be answered comprehensively only by researching FCO files for the 10-year period in question. This could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Wilton Park Executive Agency

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the Wilton Park Executive Agency performed against the targets agreed for 2001–02; and what the agreed targets are for the current year.

Denis MacShane: Wilton Park met all four of the agreed targets set for the 2001–02 financial year, for income, cost recovery, the number of conference participants, and cost per head to the FCO overall. Wilton Park's performance in 2001–02 and some of the targets for the current year are shown in the table:
	
		
			   2001–02 targets 2001–02 performance 2002–03 targets 
		
		
			 Income (£) 2,963,000 3,210,000 3,278,000 
			 Cost recovery (percentage) 85.9 87.2 86.1 
			 Number of conference participants 2,400 3,033 — 
			 Cost to FCO per participant (£) 203 156 — 
		
	
	Wilton Park's targets have been adjusted from 2002–03 to give greater emphasis to service delivery. Measures for number of conference participants and cost to the FCO per participant have been dropped. Wilton Park's annual targets now work from framework targets for cost recovery (which is to recover all its cash costs ie excluding non-cash costs), quality of conference programmes and standards of service. New measures have been added for 'excellent' ratings awarded respectively for conference programmes and for conference administration. The 2002–03 targets for the two new measures are:
	'Excellent' ratings awarded for conference programmes: 56 per cent. (an increase of 2 per cent. on the informal target for 2001–02)
	'Excellent' ratings awarded for conference administration: 89 per cent. (an increase of 1.1 per cent. on the informal target for 2001–02).

Morwenstow Facility

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the purpose of the facility at Morwenstow.

Jack Straw: As I told the hon. Member on 22 January 2002, Official Report, column 775W, GCHQ Bude, previously known as the Composite Signals Organisation Station at Morwenstow, provides intelligence support serving the interest of the UK and its allies. It is long standing policy not to provide details about the operations carried out at Bude.

New Zealand

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received from New Zealand regarding the transport of nuclear fuel near its territory.

Denis MacShane: The New Zealand Government made a representation on 12 July through its High Commission in London on the return of MOX fuel from Japan to the UK.

Nuclear Waste Negotiations

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations his Department has received concerning negotiations between Russia and Iran on spent nuclear fuel; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Russian co-operation with Iran's nuclear industry, including issues concerning spent fuel, are regularly discussed with appropriate governments.

Côte d'Ivoire

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether UK observers were present to monitor the recent local elections in Côte d'Ivoire, including the campaign and polling day; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The UK did not send any observers to cover the Côte d'Ivoire district elections, nor did the European Union. However, members of our embassy visited polling stations in several areas of Abidjan and reported no serious incidents on polling day.

Côte d'Ivoire

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of the Côte d'Ivoire on the failure to distribute identity cards in time for the local elections on 7 July; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: EU and other western diplomatic missions in Côte d'Ivoire, including our own, were in regular touch with the Ivorian Government and Independent Electoral Commission in the run-up to the elections. They made clear, among other things, the need to ensure that arrangements for voter identification were as comprehensive as possible. The Interior Minister gave an assurance that the distribution of identity cards would continue up to and including polling day itself.

BBC World Service

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the salary of the Director of the BBC World Service and Global News is paid out of his Department's grant to the BBC World Service.

Denis MacShane: Mark Byford was appointed Director World Service and Global News in October 2001. As soon as the new division is formally established Mr. Byford's remuneration will initially be met two-thirds from the grant in aid and one third from BBC World. This would be subject to review after a year. Pending the creation of the new division, Mr. Byford's remuneration is met entirely from the grant in aid. His remuneration is set by the BBC Board of Governors, and is published in the BBC Annual Report and the BBC World Service Annual Review.

Polish Steel

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions officials of his Department have held with the Polish Government in relation to the privatisation of the Polish Steel company.

Peter Hain: FCO officials have regularly discussed with the Polish Government the need to re-structure Poland's steel industry and to bring its support for the sector into line with the European Union rules on state aids. Privatisation is likely to be part of that restructuring. The EU has to agree a restructuring plan with the Polish Government before the competition chapter of the EU enlargement negotiations can be closed.

Gibraltar

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations his Department has received concerning the status of telephone services between Spain and Gibraltar.

Peter Hain: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials hosted a meeting on 17 April with representatives of Gibraltar Nynex Communications Ltd. (GNC) and the Government of Gibraltar to discuss the status of telecommunications services between Spain and Gibraltar. On 26 June officials received a follow-up letter on behalf of GNC. We replied on 12 July.
	The most recent representation from the Government of Gibraltar on this issue was a letter from the Chief Minister to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 18 March, to which I replied on 19 April.

Gibraltar

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received regarding changes to the constitution of Gibraltar.

Peter Hain: We understand that the Gibraltar House of Assembly Select Committee on Constitutional Reform has produced proposals. The Government of Gibraltar has not yet passed these to Her Majesty's Government. We will consider carefully any proposals we receive.

Gibraltar

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's latest assessment is of progress with negotiations with Spain concerning Gibraltar; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made in the House by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 12 July 2002, Official Report, column 1165.

Gibraltar

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what members of his Department participated in public ceremonies celebrating the Golden Jubilee on Gibraltar; if he will list the ceremonies on Gibraltar members of his Department attended; and if he will make a statement regarding the celebration of the Golden Jubilee on Gibraltar.

Peter Hain: To date there have been a total of 10 public events in Gibraltar in celebration of HM the Queen's Golden Jubilee. In addition to those events hosted by His Excellency the Governor (and detailed in my reply to the hon. Member for Bexhill and Battle (Gregory Barker) at column 391W, the following events have taken place:
	
		
			 Date Event 
		
		
			 3 June Golden Jubilee Celebrations at Nuffield Pool (including fireworks and lighting of a beacon) 
			 8 June Golden Jubilee Concert—St. Michael's Cave 
			 10 June Inter-faith Service of Thanksgiving 
			 13 June Queen's Birthday/Golden Jubilee Parade at the Victoria Stadium 
			 13 June Queen's Golden Jubilee Command Reception 
			 10–21 June Model Soldier Exhibition to commemorate HM the Queen's Golden Jubilee 
			 27 June Golden Jubilee Celebration Concert at St. Michael's Cave 
		
	
	His Excellency the Governor, together with other members of his staff, attended all the events.

Gibraltar

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what Golden Jubilee celebrations took place hosted by the Governor of Gibraltar; what the costs were; and what local elected officials were invited to the functions.

Peter Hain: The Governor hosted a Tree-Planting Ceremony on 6 February, a Golden Jubilee Medal Presentation on 7 June and HM the Queen's Golden Jubilee Garden Party on 14 June. The costs were £913, £458 and £8,630 respectively. All local elected representatives were invited to the Tree Planting ceremony and the Garden Party. The Medal Presentation was a purely military affair.
	The Governor also took the Royal Salute at the Queen's Birthday/Golden Jubilee Parade on 13 June and was guest of honour at the reception which followed. Both these events were arranged and funded by the Ministry of Defence.

Gibraltar

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations his Department has received from Spain regarding allegations of smuggling from Gibraltar; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs gave to the right hon. Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram) on 7 May 2002, Official Report, column 151W.

Gibraltar

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many individuals who live in Spain work in Gibraltar.

Peter Hain: The Government of Gibraltar do not have these figures available.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum Seekers

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the average length of time spent at Yarl's Wood is from arrival to removal from this country;
	(2)  whether any persons at Yarl's Wood awaiting removal have been at Yarl's Wood for over (a) 14, (b) 21, (c) 28, (d) 35 and (e) 42 days;
	(3)  how many of those persons who are still at large following the Yarl's Wood fire are (a) current asylum seekers and (b) failed asylum seekers awaiting removal;
	(4)  if any of those removed from Yarl's Wood into prisons since the fire are current asylum seekers;
	(5)  what proportion of those who escaped from Yarl's Wood following the fire but were recaptured were (a) current asylum seekers and (b) failed asylum seekers awaiting removal;
	(6)  how many of the persons detained at Yarl's Wood are (a) awaiting removal and (b) in the process of making an asylum claim.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 28 February 2002
	In terms of the status of those individuals who have been transferred to Prison Service accommodation from Yarl's Wood, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my hon. Friend, the Member for Wallasey (Angela Eagle) on 20 March 2002, Official Report, column 411W.
	The majority of the individuals who are considered to be at large from Yarl's Wood are failed asylum seekers who were detained pending their removal or the outcome of outstanding appeals.
	The remaining information requested is not available and could be obtained only by examination of individual case files at disproportionate cost.

Asylum Seekers

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many clandestine entrants were found in (a) freight trains and (b) lorries in each year since 1997.

Beverley Hughes: The figures for clandestine entrants found in freight trains have only been recorded separately since 2001.
	In 2001, locally collated, provisional statistics show that 1,563 clandestines arrived at Dollands Moor rail freight depot having boarded an open sided freight shuttle. For the 1st quarter of 2002 the figure was 454.
	The annual figures for clandestine entrants found in lorries and dealt with by Dover Immigration staff were 969 in 1997, 3,274 in 1998, 8,961 in 1999, 12,717 in 2000 and 6,397 in 2001. For the 1st quarter of 2002 the figure is 2,709.

Asylum Seekers

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the asylum application of a constituent the name of whom has been communicated to him.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 16 July 2002
	The hon. Gentleman's constituent's application for asylum was refused on 30 August 2000 and an independent adjudicator upheld this decision on 23 March 2001. He currently has an application for leave to remain here on the basis of marriage, on 15 June 2001, to a British Citizen. On 6 November 2001 the hon. Gentleman's constituent was asked to provide further information in support of this application and I understand that he passed this to his solicitors to forward to the Home Office. This has not been received and my officials will be contacting him shortly to provide further information regarding his marriage.

Medical Retirements

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employees of his Department retired through work-related ill health in the last year for which records are available; and what the cost to the Department was.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 20 May 2002
	Records are not maintained by the Home Department which enable ill health retirements to be separately identified as work-related. Our records indicate that for the Home Department the number of staff with a medical retirement certificate issued by the Civil Service pension scheme medical adviser for the period 1 January 2001– 31 December 2001 was 505. Benefits provided on medical retirement are set out in the rules of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme and laid before Parliament, and provide for an immediate payment of enhanced pension and lump sum. Ill health retirement expenditure is met centrally from the Civil Superannuation Vote. For the year ending March 2002, provisional expenditure met from the vote was £310 million in respect of all Civil Service cases for which an ill health pension has been awarded. These cases number approximately 67,000 and include those who have formally been ill health retired but who have now reached and exceeded the normal retirement age.

Members of Parliament (Personal Data)

Eric Forth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information is held by his Department on each hon. Member in relation to (a) personal relationships, both current and past, (b) financial status and dealings, (c) connections with companies and interest groups, (d) connections with Governments and (e) published works; and what was held in January 2002.

Bob Ainsworth: Ministers and officials in this Department have access to published reference sources, as well as to the information about hon. Members made publicly available by the House authorities, for the purpose of parliamentary business. Information may also be held by the Home Office in connection with the security clearance of any hon. Member who has worked for or on behalf of the Home Office, but not in connection with his or her work as an MP.

Internet (Security)

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are being taken by the Government to ensure that individuals using the internet to buy goods have their bank details and other personal information kept secure.

Bob Ainsworth: The Government are taking forward a number of initiatives to ensure security of information when purchasing goods on the internet. Last year the Government, working closely with stakeholders, launched their Safe Internet Shopping Campaign to help explain how consumers can shop on-line with confidence. This included guidance on safe payment and data protection, together with directions to the Government's Consumer Gateway (www.consumer.gov.uk) which provides links to sources of detailed information. In addition, existing consumer protection law applies on-line. This includes the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) regulations 2000, which give consumers protection against payment card fraud and rights to information and cooling off periods.
	The use of personal information on the internet is regulated by the Data Protection Act 1998, which sets rules for the handling of data about living, identifiable individuals throughout the United Kingdom. Among other things, these require personal data to be held securely. The Act is administered independently of the Government by the Information Commissioner, who has the power to take enforcement action if any of the Act's requirements is breached.
	The Home Office has actively encouraged the finance and retail sectors to implement secure means of protecting cardholder information. These include the cardholder address and card security code checking system to make transactions over the internet more secure.

Work Permits

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what steps are being taken to ensure that work permits applied for under shortage occupations criteria are only granted in circumstances where the skill required is classified as a shortage occupation skill;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the process of investigation undertaken by Work Permits (UK) into work permit applications that are submitted on the grounds of shortage occupations criteria.

Beverley Hughes: Should an employer make a false declaration there are a number of safeguards built into the application process.
	The work permit arrangements are designed to strike the right balance between enabling employers to recruit or transfer skilled people from abroad while safeguarding the interests of the resident labour force. The arrangements are labour market led.
	Before a work permit can be issued the employer will normally be expected to demonstrate by advertising the post that there is no suitably qualified resident workers. However, this requirement is waived where the vacancy is in respect of an occupation included on Work Permits (UK) shortage occupation list. Such applications will nevertheless need to meet the other criteria of the work permit arrangements as to the skills, qualifications and experience of the employee and the terms and conditions of employment.
	If Work Permits (UK) has any doubts about the validity of the information provided on the application form, they can request further evidence, such as a job description, copies of qualifications and references from previous employers to assess whether the overseas worker has the necessary qualifications and skills.
	In order to maintain the accuracy of the shortage occupation list, Work Permits (UK) has established a number of industry sector panels. The panels, including one for the Information Technology, Communications and Electronics (ITCE) sector, meet on a quarterly basis to review changes in the labour market and make recommendations on the occupations that should form the shortage list. Members of the ITCE sector panels include other Government Departments, trade unions, relevant industrial bodies and independent representative organisations such as the Professional Contractors Group (PCG).
	Work Permits (UK) is also developing arrangements to ensure that the work permit arrangements are not abused once the work permit has been granted. In addition to the existing Allegations Team, Work Permits (UK) is setting up a new Intelligence Team, which is expected to be operational by autumn. This team will facilitate links with the Immigration Service, the police and other interested bodies and allow a more thorough and coherent investigation of allegations. Additionally, a Post Issuing Checking (PIC) team, which will take a pro-active role in targeting sectors and visiting employers, overseas nationals or representatives who Work Permits (UK) suspect are not abiding by the scheme criteria.

Regulatory Impact Unit

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of his Department have been employed in its regulatory impact unit in the past five years; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Home Office departmental responsibility for regulatory impacts is located in the Performance, Delivery and Strategy Unit.
	A breakdown of the numbers of staff employed, in each financial year, on regulatory impact matters is as follows:
	1997–98 (1 April 1997–31 March 1998): 1
	1998–99 (1 April 1998–31 March 1999): 2
	1999–2000 (1 April 1999–31 March 2000): 2
	2000–01 (1 April 2000–31 March 2001): 2
	2001–02 (1 April 2001–31 March 2002): 1.
	The Performance, Delivery and Strategy Unit regulatory impact co-ordinator works closely with the officials responsible for developing policies within the Home Office and with the Cabinet Office Regulatory Impact Unit.

Correspondence

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters were received by each Minister in his Department in each month since June 1997.

Michael Wills: The figures for the number of letters received by each Minister in each month since June 1997 have been placed in the Library.

Drugs

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what he estimates to be the value of the (a) domestic and (b) international trade in (i) cannabis, (ii) amphetamines, (iii) LSD, (iv) cocaine, (v) ecstasy, (vi) heroin and (vii) crack in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Bob Ainsworth: There are no estimates of the value of the United Kingdom (UK) domestic and international trade in the drugs specified in the question. However, a study by National Economic Research Associates (NERA) produced the following estimates of the value of the market in 1998–99 for the following specific drugs: amphetamines £257.7 million; cannabis £1,577.9 million; cocaine £352.8 million; crack £1,817.4 million; ecstasy £294.6 million; and heroin £2,313.0 million. These figures should not be regarded as definitive since the purpose of the study "Sizing the UK market for illicit drugs" was to carry out research into different methodologies for assessing the size of illicit drug market. Her Majesty's Customs believe the cocaine (and probably ecstasy) figure from the NERA study is likely to significantly understate the true position by missing much recreational use. This work was in large part derived from the New English and Welsh Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (NEW-ADAM) and therefore reflects drug users who have come to the attention of the criminal justice system—which is more likely to be the case with heroin or crack users.
	A United Nations study published in January 1998 reported that estimates of the turnover of the global illicit drug industry varied considerably from US$100 billion to US$1,000 billion a year, with the most frequently found figures in the literature in the range US$300 billion to US$500 billion a year.

Buildings Insurance

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of buildings insurance to his Department was (a) before and (b) after 11 September 2001.

Bob Ainsworth: Departments are required to comply with the Government's general policy on insurance, which is set out in Government Accounting, Chapter 30, para 30.2.5, which notes that Government do not need to purchase insurance to protect the viability of its business, and should consider insurance only where the value of claims met would exceed the cost of insurance premiums. Commercial insurance of a building is acceptable in cases where (a) insurance is a condition of a lease (b) the lessor will not accept a Government indemnity (c) incurring the total cost of the accommodation in question, including the cost of the insurance, is more cost-effective that other accommodation options [Government Accounting, para 30.2.11a].
	The Home Department complies with this policy and with rare exceptions self-insures buildings in which it is the sole occupier. Where part of a building is leased and insurance forms part of the services provided to the building as a whole by the lessor, an element of the service charge payment will relate to the insurance cost, but extracting this element from such charges could only be done at disproportionate cost.
	Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts involving accommodation provision an insurance element also forms part of the overall PFI charge. The Department's policy, based on advice from the Office of Government Commerce is that any additional insurance costs following 11 September is primarily a matter for the private sector.

Statistics

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the statistics that are collected by his Department by English parliamentary constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 8 July 2002
	The Home Department undertakes a wide range of research activities that support the development of information-led policy, including scientific and engineering research, market and opinion research and social research. My Research, Development and Statistics Directorate (RDS) conducts social research supporting all seven Home Office aims. However, RDS do not collect statistics at parliamentary constituency level for a number of reasons. In particular, many of the statistics collected locally are based on administrative areas, such as local and police authorities, and these do not always share boundaries with parliamentary constituencies.
	In the past, following each United Kingdom (UK) Parliamentary General Election a House of Commons Paper compiled by RDS was laid before Parliament in the form of a Return to an Address, and similarly, after each European Parliamentary Election a Home Office Statistical Bulletin was published by RDS. Each publication contained statistics of individual candidates' Election Expenses (except for the bulletin covering the 1999 European Parliamentary elections where, because of the voting system used, individual candidates did not have control over their expenses). Both publications also contained details, by UK Parliamentary or European Parliamentary constituency, of rejected ballot papers, postal and proxy votes, and votes polled. The responsibility for compiling and publishing these figures passed on 1 December 2000 to the Electoral Commission.
	The full list of RDS publications is available on the Home Office website and copies are also placed in the Library.
	May I also refer you to the letter sent to you on 8 July 2002 by the National Statistician in which he stated that the Office for National Statistics do not collect statistics at parliamentary constituency level.

Zimbabwe

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons arriving at a port of entry (a) from Zimbabwe and (b) claiming to be citizens of Zimbabwe from another port of embarkation have been refused entry by immigration officers and returned to Zimbabwe in the last six months for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: The available information relates to the number of Zimbabwean nationals refused leave to enter the United Kingdom and removed. The latest six months for which data is available is for July to December 2000, and is shown in the table.
	Information on the original port of embarkation, and the destination of persons removed from the United Kingdom is only available by examination of individual case files at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 2000  Zimbabwean nationals refused entry to the United Kingdom and removed(22) 
		
		
			 July 110 
			 August 130 
			 September 160 
			 October 170 
			 November 220 
			 December 300 
			  
			 Total refused and removed July-December 2000 1,090 
		
	
	(22) Includes persons departing 'voluntarily' after enforcement action has been initiated against them and persons leaving under Assisted Voluntarily Return Programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). All figures are rounded to nearest five.
	Information on the number of people refused leave to enter the United Kingdom and removed during 2001 will be published later this year in the Command paper "Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2001", and will be available from the Library and the website of the Research Development and Statistics Directorate of the Home Office http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Romanian Immigrants

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with the Romanian Government on the issue of illegal immigrants by Romanian citizens into the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Home Office officials met their Romanian counterparts in November 2001 and March 2002 to negotiate the terms of a readmission agreement between our two countries. The draft agreement is intended to improve co-operation between the United Kingdom and Romania in order to contribute to the prevention and combating of illegal migration. This it will do by facilitating the readmission to each country of its own citizens and third country nationals whose residence in the other country is illegal. Officials are currently working on finalising the text of the agreement, which we expect to be formally signed later this year.
	The United Kingdom has also deployed two officers to Romania in an advisory capacity, to assist the Romanian government in creating a professional intelligence unit for combating organised immigration crime. The unit aims to provide intelligence packages to support operational activity to target the criminal gangs operating in and through Romania.

Removals (Injuries)

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been injured during removal from the UK during the last six months; what the nature of the injuries was and how they are documented; what the policy of the IND Enforcement Directorate is on removal of injured persons, and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 11 July 2002
	The Home Office does not keep statistics centrally recording those individuals injured during removal from the United Kingdom and these figures are available only at disproportionate cost.
	Medical staff at the removal centre will examine any detainee who states that they are ill or injured prior to travel to ascertain if they are fit to travel.
	A detainee injured during removal, while still in the United Kingdom would be referred to the Port Medical Inspector who would assess whether the detainee is fit to travel.
	The escorting contractors complete an incident report detailing any incident occurring during removal.

Asylum Applications (Iraqis)

Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Iraqis have claimed asylum in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years; how many of them claimed to be Kurdish; and how many of those claiming to be Kurdish (a) were granted refugee status, (b) were granted exceptional leave to remain, (c) were refused both and (d) were refused both after appeal.

Beverley Hughes: The table shows the applications and initial decisions of Iraqis, excluding dependants, claiming asylum from 1997 to 2001:
	
		
			  1997(23) 1998(23) 1999(23) 2000(23),(24) 2001(23),(24) Total 
		
		
			 Applications received 1,075 1,295 1,800 7,475 6,805 18,450 
			 Initial decisions(25) 660 1,100 735 5,520 4,060 12,075 
			  Cases considered under normal procedures(26) 
			 Granted asylum 255 510 315 845 805 2,730 
			 Granted ELR 295 500 320 2,455 1,800 5,370 
			 Refused 110 90 100 2,220 1,455 3,975 
			  Backlog clearance exercise(27)
			 Granted asylum or ELR under backlog criteria — — 5 10 — 15 
			 Refused under backlog criteria(28) — — * * — * 
		
	
	(23) Data rounded to the nearest 5 with * = 1 or 2
	(24) Provisional data
	Initial decision figures do not necessarily relate to applications received in the same period
	(25) Information is of initial decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions
	(26) Cases decided under measures aimed at reducing the pre 1996 asylum application backlog
	(27) Includes some cases where the application has been refused on substantive grounds
	Data for refusals after appeal are available only for 1998 when 25 appeals were dismissed.
	It is not possible to say how many of the applicants are of Kurdish origin. Data on the ethnic origin of asylum seekers are not collated centrally and are therefore not available; the number of those who applied would be available only by examination of individual case files at disproportionate cost.
	Information on asylum applications is published quarterly. The next publication will be available from 30 August 2002 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/ immigration1.html.

Asylum Applications (Iraqis)

Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those Iraqi Kurds who have been refused refugee status and exceptional leave to remain after appeal have (a) been removed from the United Kingdom and (b) left voluntarily in the last three years.

Beverley Hughes: The number of Iraqi nationals removed in the last three quarters of 2001 after making an application for asylum in the United Kingdom is given in the table, figures prior to this are not available. It is not possible to say how many of these are of Kurdish origin or at what stage of their application they were removed, it is also not possible to determine the number of persons who leave voluntarily without informing the Home Office of their departure.
	
		Iraqi principal asylum applicants removed(28),(29),(30),(31)
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Q2 2001 25 
			 Q3 2001 15 
			 Q4 2001 15 
		
	
	(28) Provisional estimated data, subject to change.
	(29) Includes persons departing 'voluntarily' after enforcement action had been initiated and persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Returns Programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration.
	(30) Nationality breakdown of dependants is unavailable.
	(31) Data rounded to the nearest 5.
	Information on the number of asylum removals is published on a quarterly basis. The next set of data will be available on 30 August 2002 on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Raves

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many raves took place in South England in the last two years, broken down by county.

Bob Ainsworth: This information is not held centrally and could be gained only at disproportionate cost.

Positive Futures Projects

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the existing positive futures projects;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the 33 new positive futures schemes referred to on page 170 of the 2002 Departmental report.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 11 July 2002
	The existing Positive Futures projects have recently been subjected to independent evaluation which found that they are achieving their aims of increasing sports participation and reducing youth crime and drugs misuse. It found:
	a reduction in recorded crime (of up to as much as 77 per cent.) in every area with a Positive Futures project;
	Positive changes in behaviour and lifestyle for many of these youngsters who were deemed to be 'at risk', for example returning to the education system;
	An increase in sports participation with many youngsters joining sports clubs, gaining coaching and leadership qualifications.
	New projects were awarded to 33 agencies that demonstrated how sports projects would complement the work of local youth offending and drug action teams. The majority of projects that started in April 2002 have now appointed staff and are working with statutory services to identify the 50 young people most 'at risk' of offending to ensure their involvement in the sports programmes.

PSA Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated cost to public funds is of achieving the PSA target to make significant progress towards one million more people being actively involved in their communities by March 2004.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 11 July 2002
	My right hon. Friend the Chancellor (Mr. Brown) announced in January 2001 that he was making available £300 million as part of a package which almost doubled the Government's commitment to encourage more people to get involved in their communities. This includes expenditure on a range of initiatives including:
	£60 million to be used to develop mentoring, and modernise infrastructure in voluntary and community organisations;
	£70 million for the Children's Fund, which was announced as part of the Spending Review 2000;
	£50 million for community groups in deprived areas; and
	£120 million to fund volunteering in public services and a new National Experience Corp for the over 50's to pass on their skills and experience to help others.

Macedonian Nationals

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Macedonian nationals are prohibited from entering the UK.

Beverley Hughes: There is no international travel ban applying to Macedonian nationals at present. Nor have any Macedonian nationals been excluded from entering the United Kingdom within the last 10 years at the personal direction of my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary using the powers available to him under the Immigration Rules. There will, however, be Macedonian nationals who are excluded on an individual basis under immigration powers, such as those who have been deported from the United Kingdom. It would entail disproportionate cost to identify all such individuals.

Fraud

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated level of losses to fraud and corruption was in (a) his Department's Vote 1 budget and (b) his Department's Vote 2 budget for (i) 1999–2000 and (ii) 2000–01.

Beverley Hughes: The information requested is as follows:
	
		£000 
		
			 Description 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 Vote 1(32) 210.2 86.9 
			 Vote 2(33) 159.5 77.3 
			 Total 369.7 164.2 
		
	
	(32) Vote 1—interpreted as core Home Office, agencies and no departmental public bodies and
	(33) Vote 2—interpreted as Prison Service
	The Home Office has a comprehensive anti-fraud and corruption policy and a response plan that is applied vigorously. All cases of reported fraud and theft are investigated with follow-up action taken, which includes prosecution where appropriate. There has been a decrease in overall reported cases of fraud and theft during 2001–02.

Criminal Justice System Annual Report

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to publish the Criminal Justice System annual report for 2001–02.

David Blunkett: My noble and learned Friends the Attorney-General, the Lord Chancellor and I will today be publishing jointly an annual report for the criminal justice system for England and Wales.
	The document is a report back on the criminal justice system business plan 2001–02. It summarises the progress which has been made in modernising the criminal justice system, building on that reported in the previous two annual reports.
	Copies of the report will be placed in the Library.

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the review of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 will report.

Hilary Benn: The review of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 has completed its work. The report, "Breaking the Circle", is published today. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Cannabis (Road Deaths)

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many road deaths are estimated to be a result of the influence of cannabis in each of the last three years.

David Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
	National road accident statistics do not identify cases where drivers involved in fatal road accidents were under the influence of drugs. There are no estimates of the numbers involved in accidents where drivers had been under the influence of cannabis. Recent research shows that 12 per cent. of those killed in road accidents had traces of cannabis in the body. However, the presence of the drug cannot be taken as evidence of accident causation. In addition, the inactive element of cannabis remains detectable for a long time after any impairing effect.

Drug Deaths

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of deaths related to misuse of (a) alcohol, (b) tobacco, (c) cannabis, (d) ecstasy, (e) amphetamines, (f) LSD, (g) heroin, (h) cocaine and (i) crack cocaine in the past 12 months.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 5 July 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	The available information estimates that between 5,000 and 40,000 deaths per annum are caused by alcohol in England and Wales, reflecting the wide range of methods of calculation used in many studies.
	It is estimated that smoking causes 120,000 deaths in the United Kingdom each year. Source: "The UK Smoking Epidemic: Deaths in 1995" Health Education Authority.
	Figures published by the Office for National Statistics indicate the number of times cannabis, ecstasy, amphetamines, LSD, heroin, and cocaine are mentioned on death certificates. These figures are shown in the table. Separate figures are not available on crack cocaine.
	Figures for these substances are not on a comparable basis to those given for alcohol and smoking related deaths which are estimates.
	
		Number of deaths where selected substances were mentioned on the death certificate—England and Wales 2000
		
			  All deaths with substance mentioned 
		
		
			 Heroin/morphine(34) 926 
			 Cocaine (including crack cocaine) 80 
			 Amphetamines 59 
			 Ecstasy 36 
			 Cannabis 11 
			 LSD 0 
		
	
	(34) As heroin breaks down in the body into morphine, the latter may be detected at post mortem and recorded on the death certificate
	Source:
	"Death related to drug poisoning: England and Wales 1993–2000" Health Statistics Quarterly 13, spring 2002, Office for National Statistics; ONS database of drug-related poisonings

CABINET OFFICE

Statutory Instruments

John Bercow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many statutory instruments have been (a) introduced, (b) removed and (c) amended by his Department since 1 January; and what the (i) cost and (ii) saving has been in each case.

Douglas Alexander: My Department has not introduced, removed or amended any Statutory instruments from 1 January to the present day.

Buildings Insurance

John Bercow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the cost of buildings insurance to his Department was (a) before and (b) after 11 September 2001.

Douglas Alexander: Departments are required to comply with the Government's general policy on insurance, which is set out in Government Accounting, Chapter 30, paragraph 30.2.5, which notes that Government do not need to purchase insurance to protect the viability of its business and, should consider insurance only where the value of claims met would exceed the cost of insurance premiums. Commercial insurance of a building is acceptable in cases where (a) insurance is a condition of a lease, (b) the lessor will not accept a Government indemnity, (c) incurring the total cost of the accommodation in question, including the cost of the insurance, is more cost-effective than other accommodation options (Government Accounting, paragraph 30.2.11a). For the Cabinet Office the figures requested are as follows:
	1 April 2001 to 11 September 2001: £14,799.00
	12 September 2001 to 31 March 2001: £27,746.00.
	The increase in the post 11 September 2002 figure is primarily due to changes in the Cabinet Office's estate.

Building Values

John Bercow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the buildings owned by his Department and estimate the market value of each of them.

Douglas Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Member for Brent, South (Mr. Boateng) gave the hon. Member for Buckingham on 3 July 2002, Official Report, column 339W.

Civil Service Pay

Iain Coleman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his policy is on the inclusion of Civil Servants within national pay scales.

Douglas Alexander: Responsibility for pay and grading outside the Senior Civil Service is delegated to Departments and agencies. The Government's policy is to give greater freedom and autonomy to front line managers, including for pay and grading, in order to encourage innovation and improve delivery. A system which included all Civil Servants within national pay scales would be incompatible with this policy.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Communications Bill

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make it her policy to place a duty upon Ofcom (a) to ensure that inclusive design principles inform the development of all future digital communication technologies, facilities, services and equipment, (b) to promote the need for disability awareness and equality training throughout the communication industries and (c) to ensure that accessible communications services, equipment and facilities, with special emphasis on training and continuing support in their use, are made readily available at no extra cost to consumers who are disabled.

Kim Howells: Ofcom must have regard to the needs of people with disabilities in carrying out all of its functions—this requirement is in Clause 3(2)d of the draft Communications Bill.
	Although there is no specific requirement on Ofcom to ensure that communications equipment is provided for disabled users the EC Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment Directive permits the EC Commission to decide that particular types of apparatus shall support certain features for disabled users. The Government is working to improve the range of communications equipment available for disabled users through raising awareness of their needs among equipment designers and manufacturers.
	Ofcom must have regard to the needs of people with disabilities in carrying out all of its functions—this requirement is in Clause 3(2)d of the draft Communications Bill.
	Although there is no specific requirement on Ofcom to ensure that communications equipment is provided for disabled users the EC Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment Directive permits the EC Commission to decide that particular types of apparatus shall support certain features for disabled users. The Government are working to improve the range of communications equipment available for disabled users through raising awareness of their needs among equipment designers and manufacturers.

Communications Bill

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what savings she envisages by replacing existing regulators with the Office of Communications with regard to (a) staff and (b) expenditure; and what qualitative change in the culture of regulation she expects to be achieved by replacing the existing regulators with Ofcom.

Kim Howells: The Government expect the replacement of the existing regulators by Ofcom to result in savings through greater administrative efficiency and the elimination of duplication. It is, however, too early to quantify any such savings at this stage.
	The creation of Ofcom should allow a more coherent, integrated and balanced approach to be taken to regulation across the communications sector as a whole.

Communications Bill

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received on the creation of the Contents Board as part of the Office of Communications; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: A number of representations have been made which refer to the creation of the proposed Content Board as part of Ofcom as part of the consultation process following the publication of the draft Communications Bill.
	These representations will be considered along with all other responses to the consultation and the report of the Joint Committee undertaking pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill.

Communications Bill

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make it her policy to enshrine a grant-making power for the Secretary of State in the forthcoming Communications Bill similar to that enshrined in section 93 of the Telecommunications Act 1984 to defray or contribute towards expenses incurred in developing and providing accessible communications apparatus and technologies for disabled people.

Kim Howells: The grant making powers under section 93 of the Telecommunications Act have never been used and it is not intended to carry them forward into the forthcoming Communications Bill. The Government will continue to work to improve the range of communications equipment available for people with disabilities through raising awareness of their needs among equipment designers and manufacturers.

Timber

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action her Department has taken since July 2000 to ensure that those in receipt of grants for construction, restoration and refurbishment projects conform to Government requirements regarding timber procurement; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is fully aware of the importance of procuring timber from responsibly managed and sustainable sources and actively encourages all of its non-Departmental public bodies (NDPBs) to take account of the principles of sustainable development in making grants. We are currently consulting Lottery distributors on ways in which a practical link between funding, projects and sustainable development, that can be trialed and measured, can be developed. We are also in the process of mapping the environmental practices of all our NDPBs with the intention of issuing further specific guidance, as appropriate.

Comprehensive Spending Review

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff have contributed to her Department's input to the Spending Review.

Kim Howells: The Spending Review involves a comprehensive assessment of the Department's performance, priorities and resource requirements, and a range of staff make a contribution.

Overseas Visits

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the overseas trips on departmental business that have been undertaken in each of the last five years by officials in her Department; and what the (a) cost, (b) purpose and (c) result was in each case.

Kim Howells: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Images of England

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received regarding the initiative entitled Images of England by English Heritage; what steps she is taking to preserve the privacy of home owners who do not wish to have their houses displayed; and if she will ask English Heritage to abandon this scheme.

Kim Howells: English Heritage's Images of England project is currently taking a single external photograph of each of England's 370,000 listed buildings. The project is grant aided by the Heritage Lottery Fund and began in 1999. Details of all listed buildings are already in the public domain. The photographs are primarily being taken from public land and will be published on the project's website. Where it is not possible to take a photograph from publicly accessible land, the Images of England photographer will seek consent from the owner, and if it is refused, will not take a photograph.
	English Heritage has also asked the Heritage Lottery Fund to approve an exemption scheme whereby photographs of private dwellings taken from public land will not be placed on the website for a period of 10 years if the owner requests this. I believe this strikes the right balance between the interests of the individual and the public.
	The Government are keen to improve access to all publicly available information. We have no plans to ask English Heritage to abandon the scheme.

Alcopops

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what research she has commissioned into the ages of the purchasers of alcopops.

Kim Howells: Neither my Department, nor the Home Department which previously had responsibility for alcohol licensing, have commissioned their own research into the ages of the purchasers of alcopops. In formulating policies regarding alcohol Ministers have, however, considered research from a number of sources, including the Department of Health's teenage drinking survey, the British Medical Association's alcohol and young people survey and other work carried out by the Alcohol Education and Research Council.
	I am pleased to say that the Portman Group's second review of its Code of Practice, on the naming, packaging and merchandising of alcoholic drinks found that "underage appeal" of alcoholic drinks, which was the predominant cause for complaint in the code's first years, has now virtually disappeared as a problem. The Government are not, however, complacent about these issues and the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 strengthened the ability of the police and trading standards officers to use young people to carry out test purchases of alcohol with the aim of ensuring that young people do not obtain alcohol illegally.

Departmental Report

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost was of publishing her Department's annual report for each of the past five years.

Kim Howells: The cost of publishing the Department's annual report for each of the past five years was as follows:
	
		Annual report costs 1998–2002 -- £
		
			  Design, typesetting, pdfs etc. Print(35) Proof reading Total 
		
		
			 1998 38,664 16,800 — 55,464 
			 1999 46,142 25,000 — 71,142 
			 2000 40,212 18,310 648 59,170 
			 2001 45,144 24,648 533 70,325 
			 2002 56,105 24,774 570 81,449 
		
	
	(35) Buy back copies from The Stationery Office.
	The costs for 2002 include the development of a new design template which the Department plans to follow for the next two to three years.

Commonwealth Games

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will publish the Government's response to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee's Fifth report, Session 2001–02, "Revisiting the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games".

Tessa Jowell: I am today publishing the Government's response to the Select Committee's Fifth report entitled "Revisiting the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games". The response is available on the DCMS website (www.culture.gov.uk) and copies of the response have been laid before Parliament and deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.

Historical Manuscripts Commission

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the future of the Historical Manuscripts Commission in the light of the recommendations in the Chipperfield report.

Kim Howells: My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for the Arts announced on Friday 12 July the publication of the report into the review of the functions carried out by the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts (HMC) by Sir Geoffrey Chipperfield.
	The Government accept the key recommendations of the report and as a result of consultations with the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Public Record Office and the Historical Manuscripts Commission my right hon. and noble Friend was able to announce that the Government intend to establish a new body, the National Archives. This will bring together functions relating to public and private records, in order to serve the nation's archives in a more efficient and effective way. It will also enhance access by members of the public to this uniquely rich national resource. The new body will report to the Lord Chancellor.
	To help facilitate the establishment of this new body, my Department has agreed to provide additional investment to enable the HMC to upgrade the National Register of Archives.
	Copies of the report are available in the Libraries of both Houses.

Religious Broadcasting

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she plans to maintain the ban on religious organisations owning many categories of broadcasting licence; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Government's position is set out in the document 'The draft Communications Bill—The Policy' which states that where there is sufficient spectrum availability, restrictions on religious bodies holding licences will be removed (para 9.3.3).
	The Radio Authority, which licences all independent radio services in the UK, is currently given discretion under the Broadcasting Act 1990 to award local analogue, satellite and cable licences to religious bodies, subject to compliance with the authority's codes, and the ITC can also award cable and satellite TV licences to religious organisations. The draft Bill increases the number of types of licences which religious bodies can hold by giving Ofcom discretion to award local digital sound programme service licences, digital additional service licences, digital programme service licences and TV restricted service licences.

Consultation

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department has a designated consultation co-ordinator in accordance with the Cabinet Office code of practice on written consultations.

Kim Howells: Yes, the Department does have a designated consultation-co-ordinator.

ITV Licences

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list (a) the regional managing directors of ITV licences, (b) members of the boards for licence management and maintenance and (c) conditions for membership of such boards.

Kim Howells: The regional managing directors of ITV licences are as follows.
	
		
			 ITV regional company Managing director 
		
		
			 Anglia Graham Creelman 
			 Border Paddy Merrall 
			 Carlton Central Ian Squires 
			 Carlton London Colin Stanbridge 
			 Carlton Westcountry Mark Haskell 
			 Channel Michael Lucas 
			 Grampian Derrick Thomson 
			 Granada Brenda Smith 
			 HTV Jeremy Payne 
			 LWT Christy Swords 
			 Meridian Lindsay Charlton 
			 Scottish Sandy Ross 
			 Tyne Tees Margaret Fay 
			 UTV John McCann 
			 Yorkshire David Croft 
		
	
	Membership of the boards and conditions of membership are matters for individual ITV companies and details can be obtained from the regional managing directors listed above.

LORD CHANCELLOR

Mentally Incapacitated Patients

Brian Iddon: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if the definition of giving basic care to a helpless patient includes the provision of fluids.

Rosie Winterton: The Government's position is that the definition of basic care includes the offer of food and fluids. These should always be offered to patients who are capable of swallowing them. Where nutrition and hydration have to be provided by artificial means, their possible withdrawal is, in all cases, a matter of clinical judgment which is undertaken in accordance with professional advice provided by a responsible and recognised body of medical opinion and the general law. The current consultation paper, "Making Decisions: Helping People who have Difficulty Deciding for Themselves", reflects this position.

Mentally Incapacitated Patients

Brian Iddon: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what advice will be given based on consultation on "Making Decisions: Helping People who Have Difficulty Deciding for Themselves" in the advisory leaflets on the effects of dehydration.

Rosie Winterton: The Consultation Paper, "Making Decisions: Helping People who have Difficulty Deciding for Themselves", seeks responses by 9 July 2002. Following the closure of the consultation period, all responses received will be thoroughly considered and will inform the final published version of the guidance leaflets. I will make a statement on responses to the consultation in due course.

Female Staff

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of the staff of the Lord Chancellor's Department are women; and what the percentage was in June 1997.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister of State, Cabinet Office, on 5 July 2002, Official Report, column 622W.

Adjudicators

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many adjudicators were in post in January of each of the last 10 years.

Rosie Winterton: The information can be produced, but it has not been possible to do so in the time available. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Libraries of both Houses.

Child Abduction

Ross Cranston: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the return rates for the United Kingdom to and from (a) Europe and (b) the United States were under the Hague Child Abduction Convention for each of the last two years.

Rosie Winterton: The four tables show the return rates for England and Wales to and from (a) Europe and (b) the United States, for European and USA signatories to the Hague Convention:
	
		Figure 1: Return rates to England and Wales—European signatories
		
			  2000 2001 
		
		
			 Cases received during the year 88 96 
			 Cases outstanding at end of the year 26 29 
			 Cases where return of child achieved 40 38 
			 Return rate (percentage) 64.5 56.7 
		
	
	
		Figure 2: Return rates from England and Wales—European signatories
		
			  2000 2001 
		
		
			 Cases received during the year 139 155 
			 Cases outstanding at end of the year 51 55 
			 Cases where return of child achieved 57 58 
			 Return rate (percentage) 64.8 58 
		
	
	
		Figure 3: Return rates to England and Wales—USA signatories
		
			  2000 2001 
		
		
			 Cases received during the year 38 41 
			 Cases outstanding at end of the year 12 20 
			 Cases where return of child achieved 17 13 
			 Return rate (percentage) 50 39 
		
	
	
		Figure 4: Return rates from England and Wales—USA signatories
		
			  2000 2001 
		
		
			 Cases received during the year 28 24 
			 Cases outstanding at end of the year 11 11 
			 Cases where return of child achieved 15 14 
			 Return rate (percentage) 53 58

Public Guardianship Office

Nigel Evans: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many complaints have been made about the standard of service in the Public Guardianship Office in 2001.

Rosie Winterton: In the financial year 2001–02, 815 complaints were made to the Public Guardianship Office about the standard of service. A further 53 complaints were made about judicial decisions, fees, the conduct of solicitors or the provision of security bonds. This was the first full year of PGO's existence.

Access to Justice Act

David Kidney: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Law Society in handling complaints with reference to the reserve powers that are contained in the Access to Justice Act 1999.

Rosie Winterton: We continue to have concerns about the Law Society's performance in complaints handling, particularly in relation to the quality of casework. The Lord Chancellor has therefore asked the Legal Services Ombudsman to maintain increased oversight of the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors, the Law Society's complaints handling wing. He has warned that unless speedy and substantive improvements are made across the board, he will not hesitate to implement his reserve powers, which allow for the establishment of a Legal Services Complaints Commissioner.

PRIVY COUNCIL

Software

Brian White: To ask the President of the Council what his policy is towards using open source software; and what percentage is used in his Department.

Robin Cook: My Department's computer software requirements are met via a Cabinet Office contract. Accordingly, I refer to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office on 15 July 2002, Official Report, column 84W.

Overseas Visits

John Bercow: To ask the President of the Council if he will list the overseas trips on departmental business that have been undertaken in each of the last five years by officials in his Department; and what the (a) cost, (b) purpose and (c) result was in each case.

Robin Cook: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Country No. of officials Purpose of trip Overall cost of trip(36) (£) 
		
		
			 September 2000 Croatia 1 Official ministerial trip 2,481.07 
			 September 2000 Switzerland and Germany 3 Official ministerial trip 6,697.21 
			 October 2000 Mexico 4 Official ministerial trip 16,012.17 
			 October 2000 Netherlands 1 Human Resource Management seminar 500.68 
			 January 2001 America 5 Official ministerial trip 48,387.01 
			 October 2001 Ireland 1 Information already available(37) 348.13 
			 October 2001 Netherlands 1 Human Resource Management seminar 585.43 
		
	
	(36) Includes travel, accommodation and subsistence costs.
	(37) I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Chichester (Mr. Tyrie) on 10 June 2002, Official Report, column 727W.
	All overseas travel by officials in my Department is undertaken in accordance with the principles set in Chapter 8 of the Civil Service Management Code, and the detailed rules and guidance set out in the Cabinet Office Management Code. Information requested prior to September 2000 was not collected, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

HEALTH

Lactose

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the UK Medicines Control Agency will approve the issuing of new licences for medicines containing lactose.

Hazel Blears: The Medicines Control Agency has approved the new licences for medicines containing lactose, and these licences will now be issued.

EU Food Supplements Directive

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what position the UK Government have taken on the proposed EU food supplements directive, with specific reference to (a) possible banning of certain nutrients and (b) limits on the potency of others.

Hazel Blears: The European Union food supplements directive has been adopted. In negotiations the Food Standards Agency (FSA), that represented the United Kingdom, argued that there should be no unnecessary restrictions on the sale of food supplements that are safe and properly labelled.
	The directive includes lists of vitamins and minerals, and vitamin and mineral sources, that may be used in food supplements. The FSA secured a position enabling member states to allow continued sale of products containing additional sources for up to seven years after the directive comes into force, pending safety assessment. The Government intend to take full advantage of this flexibility when implementing the directive.
	The directive lays down principles for setting maximum limits for vitamins and minerals in food supplements, but does not set specific limits. The FSA argued that limits should be based on thorough scientific risk assessments.

Breastfeeding

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the proportion of mothers who breastfeed their babies; and how this has changed in the last five years.

Hazel Blears: There has been an increase in the proportion of women who initiated breastfeeding between 1995 and 2000. The results of the infant feeding survey 2000 showed that 71 per cent. of the mothers in England and Wales initiated breastfeeding compared to 68 per cent. in 1995. The increase in England and Wales was particularly marked in low-income households, where the proportion of women who initiated breastfeeding increased from 50 per cent. to 59 per cent. between 1995 and 2000.

Breastfeeding

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support the Government provides to assist in the promotion of breastfeeding.

Hazel Blears: The Government are fully committed to the promotion of breastfeeding, which is accepted as the best form of nutrition for infants. We currently have a commitment in the NHS Plan for "increased support for breastfeeding" and have identified a number of key projects. They include:
	the development and dissemination of the evidence base on good practice through 'Best Practice' projects funded under the infant feeding initiative with funding of £3 million for three years. A total of 79 'Best Practice' projects have been funded across all regions. These projects were funded to enable effective communication and evaluation of current good practice, to address the barriers to breastfeeding, and thereby lead to improved breastfeeding rates among those least likely to breastfeed. This is a goal shared by all Sure Start initiatives and several health action zone programmes.
	embedding messages into national health service practice and other policies through the national breastfeeding awareness week and national network of breastfeeding co-ordinators.
	ensuring effective monitoring of infant feeding practices through quinquennial infant feeding surveys.
	Other related departmental activities include support for four main voluntary organisations involved in the promotion of breastfeeding and maintaining close links with UNICEF's baby friendly initiative.
	This work will be developed in the context of the forthcoming children's national service framework and will include maternity services that allow children to start their lives well and grow into healthy adults.

Cancer

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish a national set of standards for primary care for cancer.

Hazel Blears: Hospital cancer services have been assessed against national standards and we are working to develop primary care services for cancer patients. Cancer clinical leads have recently been appointed in every primary care trust.
	Cancer standards will be included in the quality framework of the new general medical services contract. This is being negotiated by the National Health Service Confederation and the British Medical Association and will be made public in due course.

Cancer

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the work published in the International Journal of Cancer, volume 99, by University of Newcastle researchers in respect of cancer risks from the BNFL plant at Sellafield.

Hazel Blears: This study has been referred to the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE). COMARE will advise on this study and several other much larger studies concerned with the incidence of cancer in the children of radiation workers, in the committee's seventh report, which is expected to be published shortly.

Cancer

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that the NHS Cancer Plan and the implementation of the NICE guidance do not suffer while the structural changes to the NHS become established.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 27 June 2002
	We recognise the need to maintain and improve delivery of services for patients while structural changes in the national health service are made. Strategic health authorities, primary care organisations and trusts are responsible for implementation of the Cancer Plan. They need to work through existing cancer networks to do this.
	Primary care trusts have a legal requirement to ensure that funding for the appropriate implementation of National Institute for Clinical Excellence technology appraisals will be available within three months.

Cancer

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the reasons underlying the lower survival rate for (a) cancer and (b) colon cancer in the United Kingdom than in (i) Germany and (ii) the United States.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 10 July 2002
	While other developed countries have broadly similar incidence of cancer, there is evidence to suggest that for many cancers, including colon cancer, survival rates for patients diagnosed a decade ago are lower in this country than in comparable European countries and the United States. Experts in the field suggest that the reason for the lower survival rates is due at least in part to patients in the United Kingdom having more advanced disease at the time of treatment.
	That is why, in September 2000, we published the "NHS Cancer Plan" which sets out a programme of action to improve cancer prevention, detection, treatment and research which are intended to bring our survival rates in line with the rest of Europe.

Cancer

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government have taken since 1997 to raise awareness of (a) testicular cancer and (b) other cancers in men.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 3 July 2002
	The Department contributed to the recent production of Cancer Research UK's leaflet, "Testicular Cancer—Spot the Symptoms". Copies are available in the Library and also on both Cancer Research UK's and the Department's websites. We have also been working with Cancer Research UK on the development of information to support the prostate cancer risk management programme.

Cancer

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cancer specialist units there were (a) in 1997 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 3 July 2002
	Cancer services in England are organised in 34 cancer networks. Cancer networks bring together primary, secondary, tertiary and voluntary service providers to plan and deliver specialist services across the patient pathway. Information on the number of participating institutions is not collected centrally.

Teenage Pregnancy

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which authorities hold lead responsibility at local level for the preparation and delivery of teenage pregnancy strategies.

Hazel Blears: Since April 2001, every top tier local authority in England has a local teenage pregnancy strategy and rolling three-year action plan, developed jointly by health and local authority partners and agreed by the Teenage Pregnancy Unit in the Department. Responsibility for the implementation of the local strategy is held jointly by the local authority and relevant primary care trusts (PCTs).
	Since April 2002, funding to support implementation of agreed local strategies has been routed to local authorities through a teenage pregnancy local implementation grant. The local authority is the accountable body and must take decisions on the expenditure of the grant to ensure that it is used to support the aims of the agreed local strategy. The local teenage pregnancy partnership board, with representation from the local authority, PCTs and key local partners, should make recommendations on the use of the grant and oversee implementation of the local action plan.

BSE

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the reasons why the Food Standards Agency are making representations to the Commission to ban the use of sheep intestines in sausages; and what scientific evidence his Department has collated on whether scrapie in sheep could mask the detection of BSE.

Hazel Blears: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that the Agency's Board endorsed a report on bovine spongiform eucephalopathy (BSE) and sheep from a core group of stakeholders at its meeting in Armagh on 13 June. It contained a recommendation that the European Commission be requested to add sheep intestine to the current list of specified risk material for sheep as an additional precautionary measure. The Board agreed the recommendation on the basis that the measure, added to the current controls, could reduce potential infectivity entering the food chain by up to two-thirds if BSE were found in sheep. Current precautionary measures are estimated to reduce risk by approximately one-third.
	There is a theoretical risk that BSE exists in the national flock as some consumed the same type of feed that is thought to have infected cattle. A sheep apparently suffering from scrapie could instead be suffering from BSE as it is currently not possible to differentiate between the symptoms of the two diseases. In an Opinion issued in February 2001, the Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) of the European Union stated: 'the agent causing scrapie, the expression of clinical disease in scrapie- affected sheep, cannot currently be distinguished from BSE by any means other than biological strain typing of the agent responsible.' Bioassays in mice take up to two years to complete. It has only been possible to test a small sample of brains from sheep thought to have scrapie to determine whether a BSE-like strain is present.

Fluoride

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy for fluoridated toothpaste to carry health warning labels.

Hazel Blears: No. The only risk to health identified from the use of toothpaste containing fluoride is dental fluorosis. I am satisfied that the instructions on use which manufacturers include on packets and tubes of toothpaste protects the public from this risk.

Fluoride

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if disodium fluorosilicate and hexafluorosilicic acid are safe to use for the purpose of fluoridating drinking water.

Hazel Blears: Yes. In dilute aqueous solution, sufficient to increase the naturally occurring fluoride concentration to one part per million, hexafluorosilicic acid yields fluoride ions, hydrogen ions and silica. Disodium hexafluorosilicate yields sodium ions in addition. All of these products occur naturally in water supplies. The only product whose concentration is significantly raised by fluoridation is the fluoride ion.

Fluoride

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his policy on water fluoridation.

Hazel Blears: We have asked the Medical Research Council for advice on how the research base on the safety and efficacy of water fluoridation in reducing tooth decay might be strengthened and their report is expected shortly. In the meantime our advice to health communities in areas of high dental decay is to consider consulting their local populations on whether they should have their water fluoridated.

Fluoride

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what restrictions there are on the concentration of fluoride permitted in water used to manufacture baby foods.

Hazel Blears: The quality of drinking water is subject to The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989 (SI 1147) as amended. This sets a maximum limit for fluoride at 1.5 mg per litre. Therefore, companies making baby food or infant formula using tap water would have less than 1.5 mg per litre for the water component of the feed, plus any other source of fluoride. As the limit for fluoride is the same for Private Water Supplies (The Private Water Supply Regulations 1991 SI 2790), manufacturers using such a supply would not be expected to produce baby food with a different level of fluoride.

Hospital Waiting Times

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will rank health authorities in England in order of the highest waiting times for hospital operations, according to the numbers waiting (a) over six months and (b) over 12 months for in-patient treatments.

John Hutton: Information about waiting times in the current year is not available by health authority. We are currently progressing work to collect waiting times data from primary care trusts to reflect the new organisations that came into being in April 2002.

Hospital Waiting Times

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for a patient to see (a) a general practitioner and (b) a consultant in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: Data on actual or average patient waiting times to see a general practitioner are not collected or held by the Department.
	From September 2001 data are being collected quarterly on the lead time for the first available appointment with each GP practice.
	From the March 2002 survey, results showed that 75 per cent. of practices, with appointment systems in place, could offer a patient an appointment with a GP within two working days.
	The table shows the average (median) waiting time for patients to be seen for their first out-patient appointment following GP written referral. Over this period the number of out-patient attendance's have increased by 407,000 (5.3 per cent.)
	
		Average (median) consultant out-patient waiting times: -- NHS Trusts, England
		
			  Median wait (weeks) 
		
		
			 1997–98 6.3 
			 1998–99 6.8 
			 1999–2000 7.3 
			 2000–01 7.3 
			 2001–02 7.2 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health form QM08

Recruitment

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets have been set for 2002–03 for the Director of International Recruitment for Health Services for the number of foreign recruited nurses working in the NHS.

John Hutton: A combination of international recruitment, return to practice, improved retention and increased output from training has meant that the NHS Plan increase of 20,000 more nurses by 2004 has been achieved well in advance of the 2004 target.
	The same methods will be used to ensure delivery of the manifesto target and further increases in the nursing workforce.

NHS Recruitment

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what Department in the NHS is responsible for organising recruitment by way of the internet; and what its budget is.

John Hutton: The Department's human resources directorate is currently undertaking procurement for a national electronic (internet) recruitment service.
	Full costings will be available once the contract has been awarded through the procurement process.

Primary Care Trusts

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what incentives will be given to primary care trusts and strategic health authorities to encourage long-term use of international establishments.

John Hutton: Primary care trusts, working with their strategic health authorities, are responsible for identifying the health needs of their local populations and for arranging to meet these needs, commissioning services from an increasingly diverse range of healthcare providers. International establishment schemes that offer good value and high quality care services will have an increasingly important role in meeting these healthcare objectives. "Growing Capacity" sets out our plans for developing and managing the market to enable commissioners to make best use of the opportunities available.

Cervical Screening

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether funding and co-ordination of liquid based cytology training for pathologists, screeners and smear- takers will be organised centrally through the NHS Cervical Screening Programme following the NICE review;
	(2)  who will be responsible for reviewing the requirements for liquid based cytology processing centres in England and Wales following the NICE review.
	(3)  what plans have been put in place to train staff in preparation for the roll-out of liquid based cytology cervical screening within six months of a positive NICE review;
	(4)  what additional data relating to liquid based cytology is expected as a result of the English cervical screening pilot trials;
	(5)  if it is anticipated that every laboratory which wants to offer liquid based cytology screening will be appropriately funded following the NICE review;
	(6)  when NICE's review of the English pilot trials will be published; and who will be consulted as part of the review;

Hazel Blears: Changing to liquid based cytology (LBC) would be a major change to the way in which the national health service cervical screening programme is delivered. Before any new technology is introduced in the NHS, we must be sure that it is safe and effective, and that quality standards can be maintained.
	The evaluation report of the three sites in the English LBC pilot is due in the autumn, and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) will give their decision on its implementation across the NHS cervical screening programme in 2003. As part of this process, NICE will consult all relevant stakeholders including manufacturers, patient and professional groups.
	We are discussing with experts in the field, NHS cancer screening programmes and the NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency how best to introduce LBC if the NICE decision is positive, including training in laboratories and primary care and the potential impact of LBC on laboratory provision.
	The evaluation of the pilot will provide data on the effects, costs and practical implications of introducing LBC technology into the NHS cervical screening programme.

Cervical Screening

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if funding for setting up liquid based cytology cervical screening services will be provided direct to the laboratories, and if such funding will be ring-fenced.

Hazel Blears: The April 2002 Budget provides the highest sustained growth in national health service history: annual average increases of 7.4 per cent. per annum real terms over the five years 2003–04 to 2007–08. Decisions about the allocation of the increased funding will be announced later this year.

Cervical Screening

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if companies will be allowed to work in partnership with the NHS to provide a better cervical screening service for women in the UK.

Hazel Blears: The National Health Service Purchasing and Supply Agency has supported the NHS cancer screening programmes within England by negotiating contracts for liquid based cytology for pilot study sites, and by providing commercial input into the development of the supply markets.
	The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency is involved in ongoing discussions with suppliers of pathology products and services. The discussions include the potential benefits of working in partnership, the impact of partnerships on the NHS cervical screening programme and potential future developments which may enhance the service further.

NHS Direct

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on staffing shortages at the NHS Direct walk-in centre in Shirley, Southampton;
	(2)  what the cost was of the flights of the NHS Direct nurses who travelled from Manchester to Southampton; and what their accommodation costs were.

Hazel Blears: Shirley national health service walk-in centre is one of 42 such NHS centres which have been established in most of the major conurbations as part of a national programme to pilot nurse-led walk-in services. Each centre is managed by a project manager or lead nurse who is accountable to the local primary care trust. The overall pilot programme is co-ordinated by a national team.
	On the weekend of Saturday 29 June and Sunday 30 June 2002, due to staff illnesses, and the lack of local suitably trained nurses, the NHS walk-in centre found that it would have had to close or run a reduced service unless cover could be found by temporarily redeploying nurses from other centres. Among those who provided this cover were two nurses from Manchester who, exceptionally, travelled by air from Manchester to Southampton. Their flight and accommodation costs totalled £669.

NHS Direct

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what measures he is taking to address staff shortages in NHS Direct walk-in centres;
	(2)  what the vacancy levels are at each NHS Direct walk-in centre.

John Hutton: Recruitment of National Health Service walk-in centre nurses is a local matter for primary care trusts and as such data on vacancies are not held centrally.
	The NHS Plan sets out our commitment to implementing a range of measures to increase nurse recruitment and retention. As a new service which is expanding the role of nurses, NHS walk-in centres are contributing to this by offering an attractive option for nurses to expand and develop their skills and experience.

Recombinant Drugs

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he plans to extend the availability of recombinant drugs to all haemophiliacs in England; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The Government are considering whether to make recombinant clotting factors available to all haemophiliacs in England taking full account of representations made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Haemophilia, the haemophilia society, the United Kingdom haemophilia centre doctors organisation and others. A decision will be taken later this year.

Oncology Patients

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many medical oncology patients were waiting for elective admission for (a) ordinary and (b) day cases in each (i) quarter and (ii) year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The table shows the number of medical oncology patients waiting for elective ordinary admission and day cases. Quarterly data is available only for the final quarter of the financial year 1997–98.
	
		Patients waiting for elective admission: Medical oncology specialty -- Position at end of quarter: NHS Trusts, England
		
			 Quarter end Ordinary admissions Day case admissions 
		
		
			 March 1997 281 105 
			 March 1998 300 175 
			 June 1998 260 174 
			 September 1998 290 165 
			 December 1998 277 158 
			 March 1999 131 66 
			 June 1999 115 80 
			 September 1999 108 54 
			 December 1999 85 48 
			 March 2000 122 77 
			 June 2000 92 59 
			 September 2000 63 19 
			 December 2000 88 32 
			 March 2001 53 35 
			 June 2001(38) 65 70 
			 September 2001(38) 74 79 
			 December 2001(38) 66 68 
			 March 2002(38) 69 61 
		
	
	(38) The data does not include results from Leicester NHS Trust due to the Trust recording clinical oncology data against the medical oncology specialty.
	Source:
	Department of Health form KH07

Reserve Forces Doctors

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact on the NHS of the compulsory mobilisation of reserve forces doctors on 16 May.

John Hutton: The compulsory mobilisation to date has had minimal impact on the ability of the national health service to meet its commitments on delivery, timing, planning and organisation. The Department has been liaising closely with the Ministry of Defence throughout the planning of the compulsory mobilisation.

Somatropin

Phil Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to receive advice from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence on Somatropin.

Hazel Blears: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued guidance on human growth hormone in children in May 2002. I understand that NICE's guidance on human growth hormone in adults was due to be issued this month. However, since the final appraisal determination has been appealed against, the guidance will be issued at the earliest in October 2002, subject to the outcome of the appeal.

Rubella Vaccine

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 2 July 2002, Official Report, column 311W, how much rubella vaccine has been supplied to each clinic over the last year.

Hazel Blears: In the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002, the total amount of rubella vaccine issued to non-national health service accounts by Farillon Ltd was 8,576 doses. As these are private transactions, it would be for these customers to disclose the individual details.

Young Disabled People

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals the Government have to provide adequate information about sex to disabled young people; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: All mainstream and special schools have a duty to ensure that children and young people with special educational and learning difficulties are properly included in sex and relationship education (SRE). As part of our teenage pregnancy strategy work is in hand to improve SRE for all disabled young people, including those with physical and learning disabilities, mental health and behavioural problems and severe disability.

MS Drugs

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made to make (a) beta interferon and (b) glatiramer available for MS sufferers by (i) primary care trusts and (ii) hospital trusts serving Sutton and Cheam.

John Hutton: Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust (PCT) has implemented National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommendations of prescribing drugs for patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). All eligible patients are being fully funded. These services are being provided to MS patients in Sutton and Cheam, at Atkinson Morley Hospital which is part of St. George's Healthcare National Health Service Trust.
	Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) is available on the NHS under the 'risk-sharing scheme for disease modifying drugs for multiple sclerosis (MS) that came into operation on 6 May 2002.

Royal Bournemouth and Poole Hospitals NHS Trust

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients at the Royal Bournemouth and Poole Hospitals NHS Trust are awaiting treatment with steroids for the management of chronic pain; what financial constraints have affected the availability of the treatments; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Endometriosis

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research is being undertaken in the UK to find possible causes of a treatment for endometriosis.

Hazel Blears: There are nine ongoing and 49 recently completed projects about endometriosis shown on the national research register, which gives information about research funded by, or of interest to, the national health service. In addition, there are 11 relevant abstracts from the Cochrane database of systematic reviews shown. Details of all these can be found on www.doh.gov.uk/ research/nrr.htm.

NHS Treatment (Entitlement)

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what checks are made on foreign nationals to determine their entitlement to NHS treatment.

Hazel Blears: Entitlement to national health service hospital treatment is based on residence in the United Kingdom. People who are not normally resident in the UK are subject to the provisions of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) regulations, as amended in 1991 (SI No:438), 1994 (SI No:1535), 2000 (SI No: 602), 2000 (SI No:909). These regulations place a duty on hospitals and other NHS bodies to establish the residence qualification of all patients.
	General practitioners are encouraged to consider residency before accepting a patient for NHS treatment but are not bound by the same regulations. Under the NHS (General Medical Services) Regulations 1992 a general practitioner does not have to accept any patient for NHS treatment unless specifically allocated by a primary care trust. The general practitioner's decision does not automatically exempt the patient from charges for hospital treatment they may subsequently need.

Health Funding

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to change the funding arrangements for GP practices in England; and what progress has been made on the reform of the present health funding system.

John Hutton: The framework document for the new general medical services contract, which was agreed with the British Medical Association's general practitioners' (GP) committee in April, contains proposals for new ways of funding GP practices. Detailed negotiations on the contract are taking place now the framework has been approved in a ballot of GPs.
	With regard to the reform of the present health funding system, a wide ranging review of the weighted capitation formula used to allocate resources to health authorities and primary care trusts in England is currently taking place. A key criterion of the new formula will be to contribute to the reduction of avoidable health inequalities. The intention is that, following the review, the new formula will be ready for 2003–04 allocations.

Health Service Expenditure

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by health authority in England and Wales the spending per head of population in each year since 1995.

John Hutton: The expenditure per head of population by health authority in England has been placed in the Library. Information for Wales is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales. Health authorities were established on 1 April 1996. Data for 1995–96 is not available on a consistent basis as district health authorities and family health services authorities were not coterminous.

Queen Alexandra Hospital

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additions have been made to the originally agreed Private Finance Initiative scheme for the Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, which have affected the cost of the initiative; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: No additions have been made to the scheme that have added to the projected costs.

Wood Preservatives

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received regarding risk assessments his Department has performed on CCA pressure-treated wood.

Hazel Blears: The Department has not carried out any risk assessment of wood pre-treated with copper/ chromium/arsenic (CCA) wood preservative, nor has the Department received any representation on this issue.
	In the United Kingdom wood preservative products are regulated under the Control of Pesticide Regulations (1986) and the Health and Safety Executive lead on such non-agricultural pesticides. CCA is approved for use in products for pressure impregnation at industrial sites. This follows the advice to Ministers from the independent advisory committee on pesticides that such products do not present any risk to human health or the environment.
	Recently an expert advisory committee to the European Commission, the scientific committee on toxicity, ecotoxicity and the environment has reviewed the safety of wood treated with this preservative and has concluded that there may be a risk to health of children from the use of such treated timber in playground equipment and also when treated wood is burnt or disposed.
	The European Commission has drawn up proposals under the Marketing and Use Directive to prohibit the use of CCA wood preservatives but by way of a derogutim to continue to allow its use in a number of essential areas where human contact is limited. Draft proposals are currently being considered by member states.

Podiatric Surgery

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to announce plans to recruit more domestically trained and qualified podiatric surgeons.

John Hutton: Podiatric surgery is a specialism within chiropody/podiatry. We do not plan numbers of podiatric surgeons centrally but would expect the national health service locally to consider how to develop the role of chiropodists as numbers expand.
	Between 1999 and 2001 the number of chiropodists employed in the NHS has increased by 190 (5.5 per cent.) and our latest estimates, based on historic trends and planned increases in students entering training, suggest a further increase of 750 (20 per cent.) in the number of chiropodists working in the NHS by 2009.

Cancelled Operations

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Wealden (Mr. Hendry), of 25 June 2002, Official Report, column 864W, on cancelled operations, how many operations were cancelled in the past three quarters in each NHS trust.

John Hutton: holding answer 5 July 2002
	Data on the total number of operations cancelled are not collected. The number of operations cancelled by the hospital for non-clinical reasons on, or after the day the patient was due to be admitted, broken down by national health service trust, are available in the Library.

Smoking

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the effect on health outcomes of smoking in the last five years, broken down by region.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 10 June 2002
	The information is not available in the form requested. In 'The UK Smoking Epidemic: Deaths in 1995' (published by the Health Education Authority, 1998) it was estimated that in the United Kingdom in 1995, smoking caused more than 120,000 deaths of people aged 35 years or more; one in five deaths at all ages. Men of 35 who smoke will, on average, die seven years earlier than men who have never been smokers. Similarly, women of 35 who smoke will, on average, die six years earlier than women who have never been smokers. As well as being the prime cause of cancer and heart disease, smoking also causes other fatal conditions and chronic illnesses among adults.
	In 'Smoking Kills' published in 1998, the Government set out a comprehensive programme to tackle smoking. A key element of this programme has been the development of smoking cessation services which were launched in the health action zones in 1999–2000, and were rolled out to all health authorities in England in 2000–01 and 2001–02.
	Regional prevalence data shows how the burden of smoking has varied over the past five years. Table 1 shows a regional breakdown of the prevalence of smokers among adults aged 16 and over. Table 2 details by region the number of people who had successfully quit at the four week follow-up and rates per 100,000 population for April to December 2001. Table 3 illustrates the regional variations in coronary heart disease. Table 4 illustrates the regional variation in cancer mortality.
	
		Table 1: Prevalence of current cigarette smoking among adults aged 16 and over, by standard region, 1996 to 2000 -- Per cent.
		
			  Weighted  
			 Standard Region  1996 1998 1998 2000 
		
		
			 England 28 27 28 27 
			 North 31 27 28 28 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 28 28 29 28 
			 North West 30 31 32 30 
			 West Midlands 26 26 27 25 
			 East Midlands 28 28 29 26 
			 East Anglia 25 22 23 26 
			 Greater London 29 30 31 27 
			 Outer Metropolitan Area 2524 25 25 
			 Outer South East 28
			 South West 27 24 25 27 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Data for 1998 and 2000 weighted for under representation in some groups (eg young men). Comparisons for 1996 and 1998 should be done on unweighted data: comparisons between 1998 and 2000 should be done on weighted data.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics: General Household Survey 2000, published as 'Living in Britain: Results from the 2000 General Household Survey'.
	
		Table 2: People successfully quitting during the period April to December 2001 and success rate per 100,000 population aged 16 and over (based on self-report), by NHS regional office area
		
			 NHS regional office area Number of people who had successfully quit at four weeks (self-report) Per 100,000 population(39) 
		
		
			 England 79,051 198 
			
			 Northern Yorkshire 19,518 385 
			 Trent 6,866 166 
			 Eastern 6,453 148 
			 London 6,271 107 
			 South East 6,801 97 
			 South West 8,092 201 
			 West Midlands 9,602 227 
			 North West 15,448 295 
		
	
	(39) Number of people who had successfully quit at four weeks (self-report) per 100,000 population aged 16 and over.
	Notes:
	1. A client is counted as having successfully quit smoking at the four week follow-up if he/she has not smoked at all since two weeks after the quit date. The figures presented here are based on self-report of smoking status by the client at the four week follow-up.
	2. The population rates in this table have been calculated using the 1991 census based population estimates of persons aged 16 and over for mid year 2000 (provided by the Office for National Statistics).
	Source:
	DH Statistical press release: Statistics on smoking cessation services in Health Authorities England, April to December 2001
	
		Table 3: Trends in mortality from coronary heart disease (ICD410–414): standardised mortality ratios (SMR) 1995 to 2000 annually, all ages, by Government office region (standard rates are age-specific mortality rates in 1993)
		
			 Government office region 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			 England 89 86 81 78 74 69 
			
			 North East 107 104 99 97 88 82 
			 North West 103 98 93 92 86 79 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 96 94 90 88 80 75 
			 East Midlands 89 86 81 79 75 68 
			 West Midlands 95 91 86 81 79 73 
			 East of England 80 78 73 72 67 64 
			 London 84 80 73 71 68 65 
			 South East 78 75 71 68 64 61 
			 South West 81 79 74 72 69 66 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health: Compendium of Clinical and Health Indicators 2001
	
		Table 4: Trends in mortality from cancer (ICD9 140–208): standardised mortality ratios (SMR) 1995 to 2000 annually, all ages, by Government office region (standard rates are age-specific mortality rates in 1993)
		
			 Government office region 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			 England 97 96 94 93 91 89 
			
			 North East 112 114 109 111 105 103 
			 North West 104 105 102 101 100 98 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 100 100 97 97 95 91 
			 East Midlands 96 94 92 91 89 87 
			 West Midlands 99 97 94 94 91 90 
			 East Of England 92 90 88 88 85 84 
			 London 96 95 93 93 88 86 
			 South East 92 91 89 88 86 84 
			 South West 91 89 88 86 86 84 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health: Compendium of Clinical and Health Indicators 2001

Pneumococcal Meningitis

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answers of 27 June 2002, Official Report, column 1075W, and of 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 519W, if he will make a statement on the correlation between the irregular dispensation of pneumococcal vaccines and the number of pneumococcal meningitis cases over the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 9 July 2002
	Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine has been recommended for some years for people over the age of two years who are at particular risk from pneumococcal infection such as those people with chronic renal, heart or lung disease. It is not given annually and in most patients is given once only. Once at-risk groups have been targeted for immunisation, the number of people requiring vaccine the following year should fall. Conjugate vaccine, suitable for those under two, has only recently become available.
	The number of notified cases of pneumococcal meningitis over the last five years has declined from 300 cases in 1997 to 201 cases in 2001.
	A correlation between the dispensation of pneumococcal vaccine and the number or pneumococcal meningitis cases notified in the same year cannot be made.

CJD

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his assessment is of the quantitative risk of human beings contracting new variant CJD from consuming (a) lamb and matter from animals more than 12 months old and (b) lambs' brains.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 9 July 2002
	I am advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that as the risk of BSE in sheep is theoretical, there is no quantitative assessment of the risk of consuming sheepmeat. Current precautionary controls require the removal as specified risk material of the spleen from all animals and the skull (including brain and eyes), spinal cord and tonsils of sheep over one-year-old. A report on BSE and sheep compiled by a group of stakeholders was endorsed by the Board of the FSA on 13 June 2002. The assessments taken into account in this report indicate that animals over one year would represent a higher risk, if BSE were present. Removal of lamb brain from younger animals was assessed to have a minimal impact on increasing the level of risk reduction compared with the current requirement to remove brains from sheep over one-year-old.

Sausage Casings

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the risks to consumers of antibiotic residues in natural sausage casings imported into the United Kingdom from non-EU countries.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 9 July 2002
	Natural sausage casings are not routinely included in the United Kingdom's surveillance programme for veterinary medicines, including antibiotics. Following recent reports that antibiotic residues have been found in natural sausage casings from China and hence might pose a risk to consumers, a European Commission Decision has been implemented whereby 20 per cent. of all consignments of casing from China are required to be sampled and tested for a range of chemical residues including antibiotics. No other countries have been implicated to date.

Wild Game Meat

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent (a) assessment he has made and (b) representations he has received relating to the Wild Game Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 11 July 2002
	I have not received any recent representations, nor made any recent assessments, relating to the Wild Game Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995.
	However, the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which advises the Government on matters of food safety, has recently received representations from the wild game meat industry about certain of the requirements laid down in the regulations, notably the post mortem health checks on small venison carcases. As a result, FSA officials are working with the wild game meat industry on practicable ways to comply with the post mortem inspection requirements that also provide the appropriate safeguards for food safety and public health.

Food Standards Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the time taken to establish the Food Standards Agency following the date of Royal Assent to the relevant Act of Parliament.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 11 July 2002
	It took less than five months to establish the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
	The Food Standards Act 1999 received Royal Assent on 11 November 1999 and the FSA started work on 1 April 2000.

Food Safety

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he was informed that imported frozen chicken breasts adulterated with beef protein powder could present a risk of BSE.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 11 July 2002
	I have not received any scientific advice that imported frozen chicken could present a risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). When the Food Standards Agency conducted a survey in 2001 it did not detect any deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of bovine origin in imported frozen chicken. A subsequent survey published by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland in May 2002 detected bovine DNA in some samples, which was associated with protein derived low risk materials such as hides and milk.

Food Safety

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Food Standards Agency began to test imported frozen chicken breasts to determine whether they contained foreign DNA which was not declared on the label; and if he will make a statement on the results of the tests.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 11 July 2002
	Following an earlier survey in 2000, the Food Standards Agency found that some retail frozen chicken breast has excessive amounts of added water. Therefore in 2001, the Food Standards Agency and 22 local authorities conducted a joint survey investigating the composition and labelling of frozen chicken breast from catering suppliers. The survey found two samples tested positive for porcine deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), but none of the samples tested positive for bovine DNA. The results of this survey were made public in December 2001.
	The main finding of the survey was the problem of mislabelling of this type of product as to its description, its excessive water content, and the presence of undeclared hydrolysed chicken and pork protein.

Food Safety

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are taken by his Department to monitor the labelling of imported frozen chicken breasts.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 11 July 2002
	The monitoring and enforcement of labelling of all foods, including imported frozen chicken breasts, is the responsibility of local authorities. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has also carried out two surveys on the accuracy of labelling of frozen chicken breast, one in 2000 on retail samples and a further joint survey with 22 local authorities of frozen chicken breast destined for the catering sector in 2001. Both surveys have been published on the FSA's website.
	As a result of these surveys and subsequent work undertaken by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, the European Union Commission has asked the Dutch authorities to take action to ensure correct labelling of chicken exported to other member states.

Food Safety

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures his Department is taking to prevent the import of frozen chicken breasts adulterated with beef protein powder which could present a risk of BSE.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 11 July 2002
	As a result of the Food Standards Agency's survey and subsequent work by the Food Safety Authority-Ireland, the agency has approached the authorities of the exporting countries to ensure correct labelling of these products. The agency is working with local authorities to follow up survey findings and take prosecutions where appropriate. The issue has also been raised with other member states, and the European Commission have agreed to take action against the Dutch authorities if they do not ensure correct labelling of frozen chicken breast exported to member states.
	All bovine material entering the food chain is subject to European Union-wide BSE controls. Therefore, provided these controls have been applied, any traces of beef that may be in any other products would not raise new food safety concerns.

Food Safety

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment of risk to human health has been made by his Department with regard to bovine DNA contained in imported frozen chicken breasts.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 11 July 2002
	I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that no bovine deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has been detected in agency surveys of imported frozen chicken.
	A survey undertaken by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, published on 21 May 2002, detected bovine DNA in the form of milk protein or collagen. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) infectivity has never been detected in milk, so milk protein is not considered to present a BSE risk. The European Commission Scientific Steering Committee concluded at its meeting of 10–11 May 2001 that the parts of the hide used for the production of collagen do not present a risk with regard to BSE provided contamination with potentially infected material is avoided. In addition it is a requirement throughout the European Union that food or food products (including bovine proteins) must not be derived from either confirmed or suspected BSE cases, specified risk material, or animals slaughtered at over thirty months of age that have not tested negative for BSE.

Food Safety

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the countries from which the UK imports frozen chicken breasts which were suspected of containing foreign DNA of bovine origins in the last 12 months.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 11 July 2002
	The Food Standards Agency's survey in 2001 did not detect any DNA of bovine origin in the samples of imported frozen chicken breasts. Those samples of chicken found with DNA of porcine origin were imported from Belgium and The Netherlands.

Royal Hospital, Haslar

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the financial arrangements are between the NHS and the Ministry of Defence relating to the cost of running the Royal Hospital, Haslar;
	(2)  what the cost to the National Health Service will be of (a) opening a diagnostic and treatment centre at the Royal Hospital, Haslar and (b) closing it in 2007.

Hazel Blears: From April 2001 the responsibility for the delivery of most clinical services from the Royal Hospital Haslar transferred from the Ministry of Defence to the National Health Service, for both military and civilian patients. Arrangements have been made with the Ministry of Defence to ensure resources are made available to reflect this transfer. Financial arrangements for military patients reflect the principles contained within the circular HSC 1999–112, Ministry of Defence Hospital Units (MDHUs)—Financial Arrangements.
	The development of a diagnostic and treatment centre is under way, the first phase taking place in April 2002. The Department has provided capital funding of £725,000 this year to support the development. Last year £40,000 was made available for project management costs. The centre will move to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham on completion of the private finance initiative re-development. This is scheduled to take place in 2007 and cost associated with the transfer cannot be estimated at this time.

EU Committees (Scottish Representation)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when the EU Advisory Committee on the training of midwives is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when the EU Advisory Committee on medical training is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  when the EU Advisory Committee on the training of dental practitioners is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  when the EU Advisory Committee on training in nursing is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: I have asked to reply.
	The Advisory Committees on midwifery, medical, dental, nursing and pharmaceutical training were set up to advise the European Commission and member states on matters relating to the training of workers whose professions come under sectoral directives guaranteeing free movement and automatic recognition of qualifications.
	Each advisory committee has three members from each member state—one each from the practising profession, the education establishments and the competent authorities concerned. Three alternates are appointed on the same basis. Some of the United Kingdom's members and alternates of the advisory committees are Scottish, but the membership is there to represent the interests of all four UK countries.
	The advisory committees have not met during the last 12 months, and are not likely to do so again.

Obesity

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the role of sport in tackling obesity.

Hazel Blears: (pursuant to her reply 8 July 2002, Official Report, 783W): I regret that my previous reply was incorrect. It should read:
	Increasing participation in sport has a role to play in raising the rates of physical activity. Low rates of physical activity together with an unhealthy diet contribute to increased rates of obesity. Major cross-Government work has been put in place to raise the level of physical activity, and participation in sport. This includes: £581 million from the New Opportunities Fund for a PE and sports programme; the national Active Sports Programme and the Department's recently announced £2.5 million programme of community physical activity pilots, which will test out different community approaches to increasing physical activity. All pilots will be based in neighbourhood renewal areas and three will also involve Sport Action Zones.